


Legacy - Tale of Lia, Daughter of Poseidon,Claimed by Aphrodite,Cursed by Zeus and Sister of Percy Jackson

by ThroneofMist (orphan_account)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-01-07 04:58:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 42,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12226242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ThroneofMist
Summary: I woke up on a beach in New York. I didn't know who I was then and frankly, now I wouldn't mind forgetting. I'm a demigod and apparently, I shouldn't exist. Zeus has been trying to kill me for my whole life. I've been claimed by three gods but only one of them is my parent. It's hard enough being pulled into the world of gods but its extremely hard when you find out that your brother (that you've never met)is some sort of hero. Percy Jackson? Its hard enough being a teenage girl, its even harder when your crush is the son of a goddess and you're always in potential harm.





	1. Chapter 1

I woke up on a small beach. There was a stream to my right and a grand white structure behind me. The sky was turning dark and the stars were starting to come out. I was covered in sand. In my hair, my clothes and even my ears. I squinted, the sun was shining right in my eyes. "Will. Oi, Will!" A voice started shouting. 

I sat up quickly, my head spinning and spat out some grains of sand. I shook my head, trying to get some sand out of my long dark hair, before I stood up...and instantly fell over again. I felt like bambi. 

This was when I started screaming like a maniac. Now, before I continue, understand this. When I woke up...I didn't remember anything about me. I could only remember my first name. I couldn't remember who my parents were, where I was from, what even my surname was. So, in my opinion, it was completely and utterly reasonable that I started freaking out. I couldn't even remember who freaking  _bambi_  was.

Anyway, on with the story.

I was screaming when the boy ran up to me. "Hey! Hey! Calm down. Gods. STOP SCREAMING!" He screamed over me. The boy was small, and had black curly hair. His eyes were a deep brown colour and he had ears that reminded me of an elf. "Hey...hey. Girl! What's wrong?" I stopped screaming and breathed slowly in and out. I scratched my ear, my head was pounding. "What's your name?" He asked.

I didn't know whether to trust this guy. He looked like a normal guy, and he didn't seem overly dangerous but I had no idea who I was or where I was, so I didn't really  _have_  a choice but to trust him.

"Lia." I said. My voice came out shyer and quieter than I meant. Normally I was sarcastic and fun, I didn't know how I knew that, but I just did.

"Lia." he nodded, as he put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm Leo. Do you...do you know where you are?" He asked. 

"America?" I asked, trying really hard to think.

"Well, you're not wrong." He said. He bit his lip, before he stood up and offered me his hand. It was smaller than mine. "What age are you?" He asked, as I stood up. "I...I don't know." I admitted. "I can't remember anything about myself." I said, quietly, looking down. I wasn't wearing any shoes for some reason, and I wished I knew why. 

I expected Leo to be confused, I didn't expect him to laugh. "Lucky for you, I've dealt with stuff like this before. And you look around my age, sixteen."

"What?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed. But Leo just shook his head, grinning and started to walk towards the white structure. 

"Hungry?" He called back to me, "It's dinner." He winked back at me as he continued to walk forwards. I sighed and ran up beside Leo. We walked together and I looked around in awe. We were nearing a group of tall, marble greek-style columns. "What is this place?" I asked Leo. "Do all of the buildings look like that?" 

"This is Camp Half-Blood." He answered simply, as if  _that_  was meant to be a  _good_ answer. When I didn't reply, he continued. " A camp for half-bloods..."

"Half-bloods?" I asked, confusion taking over my voice.

"Half god, half mortal."

His mischievous brown eyes turned more serious, so I knew that he was telling the truth. "You're...you're half god?!" I shouted. Leo bowed, displaying a feral grin. 

"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus at your service."

I felt the breath leave me as small flames started to twist in and out of Leo's hands. "You're on fire!" I cried. He shrugged calmly and just shook his hands and the fire went out. "Look, I know this must be confusing but the easiest thing to do is accept it. Although, it's harder to when you don't know who your godly parent is." I just stared at him, wide-eyed. "I'm surprised that you've not been claimed yet. Especially at this age." 

He turned his head and sniffed, then looked at his watch. "Damn, we just missed dinner." Leo was practically talking to himself as only half of what he was saying I was comprehending. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me along. "We might make the campfire if we hurry." I just nodded and started running along with Leo. "You know...you really look like someone I know." Leo pondered, "He's a guy though. It's just...you really look like him. Not trying to be offensive or anything. You don't look like a boy. Just a certain boy." I just nodded, wanting to get some answers.

We ran past the white columns, and a long line of stalls. Leo gave me a tour as we ran across the grassy and gravel paths. He told me that the white columns was the mess hall and the long line of stalls were the toilets and showers. I just nodded, still not fully understanding why I was here. 

Leo also explained more as to what half-bloods were and what the greek gods were. I found out in the short run, that yes, the gods were real. Mount Olympus was on the top floor of the Empire State Building. All, the kids at this 'camp' were half-bloods. The majority stayed in the Hermes' cabin because apparently that's where you went if you didn't know your godly parent. That's where I was going to go, I supposed. 

The man in charge was apparently Dionysus, God of wine. But Chiron, a centaur was practically in charge. I felt like my brain was going to burst.

We ran into the middle of a group of about twenty cabins. They were all different colours and they all looked completely different. One was made of grey sandstone and had books piled all over it whereas one had literal flowers blooming out of the cracks of the wooden panels. 

Lots of kids, ranging from around twelve to eighteen, where standing or sitting around a fire. Leo pulled me straight into the middle, and pushed me before a man. Who wasn't a man at all. He was a man and a horse. A centaur. Leo had already explained who Chiron was but I still felt my mouth fall open as Leo said, "This is Lia. She doesn't remember who she is. I found her on the beach." Chiron looked down at me, he was uneasily tall. 

"Hi." I meekly said, waving slightly. Chiron just raised an eyebrow at me, before a voice shouted behind me. 

"Leo! Leo, why didn't you bring her to me?" I turned around and saw a handsome blonde boy run up to us. He grabbed my wrist and placed two fingers on it. He then bit the inside of his cheek and placed the back of his hand on my forehead. "I'm Will." He smiled.

"Lia." I replied.

"Yeah...I heard, sorry Leo didn't bring you to me. He's a bit-" Wil trailed off, as his eyes widened and everyone gasped. 

"It looks like we found out who her parent is." Leo laughed behind me. 

I looked down and gasped. The ripped jeans and white t-shirt I'd been wearing had vanished and been replaced with a flowy white dress. My long black hair had been mysteriously plaited. I was still bare-footed though. "What?" I exclaimed, pulling at the dress. I tried pulling my hair out of the braid and it fell out. But it fell out perfectly. It rippled down my shoulders, the black hair glossy and clean. 

"Lia, daughter of Aphrodite." Leo whisled behind me.


	2. Nico and Nighttime

I woke up in my new bed in the Aphrodite cabin, extremely early. It was still dark out as I slipped out of bed, tiptoeing over to where I'd placed the clothes Valentina had given me. She'd said that they belonged to our head counsellor, Piper, but Piper wasn't here right now. She was off on a 'quest' to retrieve a flute of Athena's or something. I changed out of the pyjamas I'd been given, also Piper's, into the pair of blue shorts, the orange camp shirt and the checked blue shirt. I slipped on a pair of old trainers and opened the pink door, careful not to wake up my cabin mates as I slipped out of the cabin.

The cabin was a literal barbie palace. The curtains and beds were frilly and pastel green and blue. There were potted pink faded carnations everywhere and the place reeked of perfume. I didn't know if in the past I would've liked that stuff but right now I certainly didn't. I'd taken one step into there and wanted to throw up. 

I walked slowly behind the other cabins, not wanting to wake anyone up. After my 'mother' had claimed me, which was extremely embarrassing, Chiron had taken me up to 'the big house', sat me down and explained everything. He said that the gods had a habit of taking away half-bloods' memories and that when they wanted I'd probably get it back. He told me that my mom was Aphrodite and that extremely embarrassing display had apparently been her way of claiming me and that my hair and face wouldn't go back to normal for a couple of days. 

I'd taken a look in the mirror in the big house and it'd taken a while for me to comprehend that that was what I looked like. My hair was perfect and my green eyes were sparkling. My lips looked slightly plumper and my eyelashes looked a bit darker and longer. I'd blinked at myself before I'd blushed and walked away. I looked like myself, just more painted. More beautiful.

I strolled past each cabin slowly, pondering over one cabin. It was light grey, and had seashells embedded in it. I stroked my hands across the shells and felt my pulse quicken. I walked past, pulling my hand quickly away.

I also paused at a black cabin. There were few windows and torches with green fire lit, hung all around. I stood on my tiptoes and peeked in at a window. It was completely dark apart from a lone torch alight in the darkness. My breathing quickened as I saw a shadow pass over the window, so I sank back down. 

I walked past the toilets and strolled through the mess hall, that I hadn't gotten the chance to see properly before. It wasn't actually called the mess hall, Chiron had said, Leo just called it that because his friends from the Roman Camp called it that. The massive white building was actually the dining pavilion. It suited that such a regal building had such a regal name. There was no roof over the mess hall, so I wondered where everyone ate when it rained. There was a long thin crack that ran straight through the middle of the mess hall. 

I bent down and ran my finger along it, wondering how that had happened. I exited through the front and leaned against a massive column. I watched as the waves broke and frothed onto the golden sand. I pushed myself off of the column and took small steps towards the water. I felt suddenly like I needed to go into the oceans. Feel the water against my skin. It felt like it was calling me.

"What's an innocent child of Aphrodite doing out here so late? Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep?

I spun around to see a small dark figure leaning against the column that I'd been leaning on. The voice didn't sound American. "When your a child of Aphrodite, you don't need beauty sleep." I replied, arms folded. "Who are you?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. Ghost king." He stepped out of the shadows to reveal a small Italian boy with dark shaggy hair and a black ominous sword casually slung on his waist. He was wearing a grey aviator jacket on top of a grey top with a skull on it. He had black skinny jeans on and black converse. 

"Did you give yourself that title or did someone else?" I asked, grinning. "I like your shoes." He looked me up and down, eyebrow raised and arms folded. "Thanks." He said, eyebrow raised, as if he was suspicious of me. "You really look like someone I know."

"Percy?" I asked, sighing as I flipped my hair over my shoulder.

"How did you know?" He asked, black hair shinning in the moonlight.

"At least five people have already commented on it." I laughed. "Chiron only said that he was kind of a big deal around here."

"I guess you could say that." Nico said, "He's not here at the moment." 

I grinned at him as I shoved some sand around with my feet. "Are you nocturnal?" I asked, head tilted. "Something like that." He answered, smiling for the first time during this whole conversation. 

I walked up next to him and slid down the column, sitting down knees up. Nico stared at me for a couple seconds before he sat down next to me. "How did you know I was here?" I asked, looking at him. "You passed my cabin." He shrugged.

I laughed, "Is yours the one made out of black stone and has green ominous torches everywhere?" I asked, shoving my hands in the pockets of the shirt. 

"Yes." He sighed as he pulled the jacket closer over him. "So...you can't remember anything?" He asked, his dark brown eyes looking down at me. "How do you know?" I questioned, "I didn't see you at the campfire." 

He looked back down, "I wasn't there...I was...I was doing things. Will told me."

"Will..." I thought back to the campfire, it felt like it had been years ago, when really it was only hours ago "Will! The blonde medic guy. Is he your friend?" I asked

"Boyfriend." He said. 

I snorted and he looked down at me, his eyes painted in anger. "What?" He questioned.

"Oh no, that's not why I'm surprised." When I didn't continue, he raised an eyebrow as if telling me to continue. "It's just he seemed...happy. Like overly happy. Healing and sunshine and all that. And well, you have a skull on your top."

Nico gave a low laugh before he smiled. "I like you." He said, head tilted. I cocked my head and smiled. "You're not as annoying as you first seemed." I punched him in the arm and laughed, happy that I'd found my second friend in this strange place.


	3. Creeks and Claiming

I was standing, gripping a sword, at the edge of the creek, swearing under my breath. This was all Nico's fault. Nico had said that I should play. Apparently, everyone not injured had to play. But if it hadn't been for Nico, I could've easily faked a sprain. But now I was playing Capture the Flag. I was on Will's team as were the majority of my cabin was. Apart from Drew, she'd been the last one picked, and (unfortunately for Nico, not for us) she was now on Nico's team. 

Connor Stoll had laughed when our team was deciding positions. He'd said that I should go to the creek for some( un-know to me) reason that him and his cabin-mates had found funny. I felt like it had something to do with this Percy Jackson guy. At least once an hour I had some new camper come up to me and tell me that I looked like him. 

Will had shown me a picture and I admit, I do kind of look like him. But I don't need someone to remind me every half an hour. So, thanks to Nico (it was his fault I was playing this stupid game) and Connor Stoll (it was his fault that I was standing here alone at some creek) I was now grabbing a bronze longsword, struggling to even hold the damn thing.

Will had said it was celestial bronze and that I should be careful not to stab myself. Pointy bit away from you Lia, I kept telling myself as I paced up and down the creek. I looked down at the running water, having to fight the urge to jump down and go for a swim. 

I turned back around, listening out for any noise. We had a tough team to beat. Nico had the Ares cabin and the Hephaestus children on his side. We had the Aphrodite cabin and the Hermes kids. The rest of the cabins were all muddled about in the teams. 

I was just praying that if anyone showed up my charmspeak would magically appear to me. For the past week Valentina and been trying, emphasis on trying, to teach me. So far I could change the colour of my hair and I somehow managed to get Chris Rodriguez to profess his love for Clarisse. Which I quickly realised was a stupid idea because soon after Chris recited his poem for Clarisse, she chased me around camp crazily waving Maimer (this apparently the name of her stupid electric spear) trying to smash my head in.

But for the life of me, I just couldn't manage to charm-speak. It was impossible. I'd spent all of yesterday asking, much to his annoyance, Mr.D to buy a chocolate fountain. 

He said no. Then he threatened to drown me in wine if I didn't leave him alone. 

I sighed and started swinging my sword around as I waited. Waited for anything to happen. The whole camp was apparently over-excited because this was some campers last year at Camp Half-Blood. I'd heard so many stories about Percy Jackson and the seven. That was all anyone talked about here. 

It had all happened six months ago apparently. And, oh boy, was there tales to tell. Basically, every-night at the campfire, the song people sang was about these seven half-bloods. 

"Oi, new girl." I spun around, my heart pounding and met the eyes of around a dozen half-bloods. At the head of them was...Clarisse. "Great." I muttered under my breath. 

"What did you say?" Clarisse growled, pointing her spear at me.

I rolled the sword in my hand and put a hand on my waist. "I said 'who let the zoo animals out'?" I shouted over to her.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this." Clarisse laughed. 

"Same." I grinned, desperately trying to cover my shaking fear. Clarisse snorted and gestured with her head to her teammates, over to me. 

I swore colourfully as they all ran at me screaming. "Are you crazy?!" I yelled at them. "The flag isn't here!" But none of the meatheads stopped running, they just kept ploughing at me. I cringed as a muscular boy slammed into me and we both fell into the creek. "Are you mental?" I yelled as I scrambled to my feet. 

The guy brought his sword over his head, and it hummed a low, hasty tune as it fell down. I swerved to the side, reaching for my sword and blocked his strike. 

"What?" I said, confused as to how I could now hold the freaking sword, let alone fight with it. The guy growled and swung at me. I blocked it and struck him. I laughed as he stumbled and I stuck my foot out. I grinned at him as he tripped over and fell face first in the water. 

I swung my sword as the rest of the half-bloods ran into the creek. I swung and jabbed. I ducked and rolled. I somehow, miraculously beat all of them, apart from Clarisse who was standing mouth open at the edge, without any training what so ever. 

I scrambled out of the creek and cocked my head over at her, but quickly my grin turned to a yell as Clarisse jabbed her electric spear at me. "Don't worry, there's magic on it. It won't kill you. Just knock you out for a while."

I shut my eyes and prepared myself for the electric shock that was going to shock me. But it never came. I opened my eyes one at a time and looked at Clarisse. She was staring at me shell-shocked. 

I grinned as I grabbed her spear, thinking that I could just throw it away. But as my fingers curled around the spear, lighting struck. But not from Clarisse's spear...from the freaking sky. THE SKY! Two seconds ago, the sky had been completely clear and the sun had been shining. Now, black clouds had appeared and flashes of lighting were dotted around the black sky.

Clarisse, myself and all the half-bloods in the creek screamed as I quickly threw the spear down and we all ran back towards camp. "Gods! What was that?!" An Ares Cabin girl screamed when we reached the middle of the cabins. 

The sky was still black and all the Ares kids were still soaked. Clarisse raised an eyebrow and looked at me before she said "Why aren't you wet?"

I looked down at myself and sure enough I wasn't wet. I should be. I'd fallen in the creek along with the rest of them. I'd rolled around in the water just as much as they had. Before I could answer, Clarisse snorted. 'There's why."

"What?" I demanded before I followed the Ares' kids line of sight to behind me. There was a glowing green trident symbol above my head and right beside that was a golden shining lighting bolt hologram. Holy Hera. 

"Lia, daughter of Aphrodite, Zeus and Poseidon." Clarisse snorted as I collapsed to my knees, mouth wide open.


	4. Valdez and Visions

There was an uproar when the rest of the campers ran over to the cabins, my team chanting and carrying both flags. "Hey! Ares, where were you guys?" Campers started to ask the Ares cabin behind me. I turned around, still on my knees, and saw Leo, Will, Nico and the rest of camp staring at me. "Holy Hera! Lia." Leo gasped, seeing the holographic symbols that still hung over my head. 

Nico swore and ran to my side, helping me up and pulling me into a hug. "What's happening with me?" I asked, fighting back tears.

Nico looked extremely awkward but he still pulled me into a hug. I felt Will come over and I heard Leo shout, "Clear off guys." to all the other campers. 

I pulled out of Nico's hug when everyone had gone into their cabins. I start sobbing uncontrollably saying through the sobs, "What's wrong with me? I still can't remember anything about myself and I just...I just want to know who I am."

As I cry, the clouds get darker and more lightening struck from the sky. I looked above my head and the sobs fell harder when I saw that the holograms were still hanging above me. "I'm gonna go get Chiron." Will said, before he ran off. 

As Nico awkwardly comforted me, I heard a voice I'd never heard before call Leo's name. All three of us turned around and there was a small beautiful girl with caramel plaited hair and big dark eyes. She was frowning and her hands were on her waist. "Leo!" She said, "You were meant to pick me up at the station an hour ago."

She walks up towards us, her hair swaying in the wind. She came up to Leo and put her arm around his waist as he kissed the top of her head. "Lia, this is Calypso my girlfriend." He looked down at her smiling, "She gave up titan-hood for me." 

Calypso rolled her eyes and punched Leo in the side, "I still hate you Valdez."

She looked up at me properly for the first time and as soon as we locked eyes, her smile turned to a frown. "Perc..." she trailed off as she tightened her arm around Leo. 

"Percy Jackson?" I asked, rolling my eyes. No offence to him, but I was getting tired of being associated with him. I hadn't even met the guy!

She looked up at the stupid holograms above my stupid head. "Looks like he's your...your brother?" She asked.

I sniffed, and before I was able to reply Leo cut in, "She was claimed by Aphrodite, her first day here. Now, a week later, she's been claimed by Zeus and Posideon." Leo smiled faintly, "She can't remember who she is. I found her on the beach." He proudly told 

 Calypso.

"Shut up Valdez." Nico groweled.

Leo rolled his eyes but got distracted by something behind us. "Chiron!" Leo called, I turned around and smiled when Chiron and Will, galloped/ran over to us. Chiron would explain everything. He was always able to explain everything.

He smiled faintly when he saw the two symbols above my head. "Lia..." he sighed.

 

Chiron couldn't explain everything. He couldn't explain anything. He said he was sorry, but that didn't help. I was now lying, completely awake on a bed in Nico's cabin. I asked if I could stay with Nico tonight and Chiron allowed it. I turned over to my side and quietly sighed. What was happening to me? Aphrodite had claimed me, a week ago. But now, Zeus and Poseidon had claimed me. Slowly, with worrying thoughts swarming my head I fell asleep.

I woke up, sitting straight up in Nico's dark cabin and stared at the woman staring at me. I screamed until the woman's face started to morph. She'd originally been around a middle aged woman with thick brown hair, blue eyes and a twinkling smile.  Now, she was a tanned slim woman with lovely blonde curls, plump lips, beautiful green eyes and she had somehow switched her jeans and shirt for a long white floaty dress. 

I forgot how to speak for a minute before she gave a light laugh. "Who...who are you?" I asked, even though deep down I already knew who she was. "I think you know already know dear." She laughed and pushed my long dark hair behind me ears. "Are you my mom?" I asked, eyebrow raised. She shook her head before she replied, "Of course not." She laughed as she swished her hair around. "Then why did you claim me?!" I demanded, my rage rising.

"Because I feel like you'll need my help later dear." When I didn't reply she continued, rolling her eyes "I'm not your mother." My eyes turned to slits as she stood off the bed and spun around, admiring herself in Nico's mirror. "Why did you switch appearances?" I questioned, hands in fists.

"The appearance I was in at first...was your real mother." She smiled. I felt my eyes widen and I stood up, really quickly, off the bed. "What?" I questioned. "You have my memories?" I demanded, fists clenched at my side.

"I don't." Aphrodite laughed, "Zeus does of course." I felt like my brain was going to literally explode. "What does Zeus WANT WITH MY MEMORIES!" I screamed at her, wanting to rip her beautiful blonde locks out of her head as she just smiled at me. 

"Because you're not meant to exist, dear." She smiled as she continued to gaze at herself in the mirror, "That's what makes this all so fun!"


	5. Dryads and Deals

I was sad for a couple of minutes. I'd ran outside the Hades' cabin, not wanting to wake Nico, and silently cried till my eyes felt raw. Then I was confused for a while. As I sat against a tree, I tried to make sense of all of this. Aphrodite wasn't my mom, she was just some goddess who was obviously bored and wanted to have some fun, meddling in someone's life. Unfortunately, it was my life. 

But if Aphrodite wasn't my real mother, then why could did I have Amokinesis and how could I change my features? And if Aphrodite wasn't my real mom, then who was? And who were my parents?

Was either Zeus or Poseidon my dad? Why was everything so complicated?

As I thought of the sly and bored Aphrodite and Zeus with my memories and Poseidon and my lure to the water, my confusedness quickly turned to anger. What right did the gods have to meddle with my life. Why couldn't they just come to camp and tell me the truth. Or even send a message. Or just leave me alone completely and stop appearing in my dreams? 

I stood up and kicked the tree for a while, I didn't have anything else to do. I only stopped taking my anger out on the tree when a dryad popped up and started asking me to stop. She was way smaller than me, and in my angry state, I was tempted to tell her this but I bit my tongue and shoved my hands into my pyjama pockets. She had pretty burn hair and nice green eyes that complemented her skin. "Sorry." I said. 

She bit her lip and looked around anxiously before she asked, "Tough week?" I smiled faintly, it felt nice to have someone to talk to. I could obviously talk to Nico, Will or Leo. They were the closest friends I had at camp. It wasn't like I wasn't friendly to everyone and they were friendly to me- excluding the Ares cabin but whatever. I also didn't even know if I could count Leo as a friend. Yeah he was nice to me, but he was nice to everyone. And I mean everyone. I witnessed him try and ask Mr D 'how things were going.'. And I kind of felt like a third wheel with Nico and Will, they didn't make me feel like that on purpose. It was just hard not to feel like a intruder. 

So I ended up telling the dryad, who's name was Juniper everything. Everything about Aphrodite, what my real mom looked like, Zeus and Poseidon, me being found by Leo on a beach. The whole time I was talking, she kept looking at me strangely. Like I was a puzzle piece that didn't fit. "Is something wrong?" I asked her.

She shook her head fiercely before I smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Well, you just look exactly like this guy I know. He's my boyfriend's best friend." She added, smiling thinking about her boyfriend. I didn't want to talk about this Percy guy again, so I asked her about her boyfriend. "You have a boyfriend?" I asked, plaiting my hair. 

"Yeah his name's Grover." She said quietly. "He's away on a quest with Percy and all their friends." She said, starting to sniffle.  "You really are like him."

"Green eyes, dark hair?" I sighed, "I get that a lot."

"No." She smiled faintly, "Not just that." She lightly brushed her green slender fingers against my long jet-black hair and carried on "Both of your hair looks like it's spilled ink, straight from a squid." She giggles at the squid part and I'm assuming that its meant to be a joke about the sea. I try really hard not to roll my eyes as she proceeded, "Both of your eyes are identical, and not just green. Its the churning green that the sea turns during a storm. Its the emerald colour that the sea shines in the moonlight. Your eyes are indistinguishable." She cocks her head. "It's crazy."

I sigh, as I look down at my watch at see that the times, 7:50. I swear under my breath, quickly say bye to Juniper, promise to talk to her tonight and run back to Nico's cabin. I burst into the cabin and see Nico standing with his arms folded, arguing with Leo. "Get out of my cabin."

Leo's eyebrows are furrowed and his arms are also folded. "Give me a drachma."

"You. Can't. Contact. Them." Nico says through gritted teeth. 

"I can, and I will." Leo grins, "With or without you. Percy might know what's going on."

"Then he would've contacted us." Nico growls but Leo's already walking towards me. 

"Hi Lia." He says quickly before storming out of the cabin. I'm about to ask Nico what's happened but he's already saying, Lets got to breakfast and practically pushing me out of the cabin.

 

After we've done everything on our schedules, we all meet up at the Juniper tree at Zeus' Fist. We, is me, Nico, Will, Leo, Calypso and Juniper. I told them all different things to get here. I told just told Nico to meet me there, he'll do anything I ask no matter the difficulty, since yesterday. I told Will that Nico was having an allergic reaction, he was up here like a bullet. I told Leo that there was a mysterious heap of gears and scrap metal, again up like a bullet. I hadn't asked Calypso up here but she'd come with Leo. Him pulling her along grinning, while she was sighing and rolling her eyes. And I knew Juniper would already be here. 

I handed Leo a gear I'd found outside the Hephaestus' cabin and apologised to the red faced Wil who looked like he was having a heart attack when he was sprinting over to us. He nearly passed out when he saw Nico, casually and looking bored, leaning against a tree. Nico raised an eyebrow at me when I told him that I'd done and pulled Will by the hand over to us.

"I realised something when I was talking to Juniper this morning." I looked around the group, at my friends and smiled. But before I could get my words out Juniper interrupted,  "You have Percy's eyes?" She asked, smiling and waving side to side. 

"No, Juniper." I calmly said, fists clenched.

"You are utterly and completely in love with me, your saviour." Leo said, nodding his head slowly. I shook my head and was about to tell him to shut up when he started talking again. "I get it, I really do. Every girl is Team Leo. Everyone loves their hero. I saved you from dying on a beach, I save Calypso from her boring island. I get it Lia. But, I promised myself to Calypso." 

Calypso beside him, pushes him and rolls her eyes, folding her arms but she didn't push him away when he strolled back over to her and put his arms around her. "1," I start, "I wasn't going to die on the beach and 2..." I glare at Leo, "I'm not in love with you."

Nico sighed and put his hand in his back jean pocket, the other one around Will. Nico always teases Will about the height difference. Apparently, when they both started going out, which was only six months ago, Will had three inches on Nico. But over the holidays, Nico grew. And now, Nico's got two inches on Will. I'm smaller than both of them, unfortunately and Will's not the only one that gets teased by Nico about his height. 

"What's the point in this?" Nico asks, eyebrows arched. Nico and Leo won't make eye contact so Im assuming that they're still fighting over this morning.

"If the gods won't tell me what's going on." I proclaim, hands on my hips, "I'm going to go ask them."

"Who's with me?" I asked, looking at the grimaces on Wil and Calypso. The grin on Leo's. The confused smile on Juniper and the arched eyebrow on Nico. "I'm in." They all said at once.


	6. Spies and Shadow-Travel - 6

LIA

Chiron obviously said no when I’d asked him if we could go and demanded answers from the gods. But I wasn't going to let that stop me. I hadn't even wanted to ask him in the first place, we'd all know what his answer was going to be, but Will had made me. Chiron had simply said, "There is no way am I letting four half bloods go up to Mount Olympus alone, when you haven't been invited and when it's dangerous." 

I’d tried to argue back, saying, “This camp has a climbing wall that’s set on fire and that plays a capture the flag game with weapons!” But I hadn’t won that argument, I’d just ambled back to the Juniper’s tree and told Will, “I told you so.”

I though of Chiron’s face when he'd said no as I climbed out of the Aphrodite cabin’s back window. After Zeus and Poseidon had claimed me I hadn't known where to stay, Mr.D said he didn’t care and Chiron said I could pick which one I wanted to stay in. But both of the gods’ cabins were empty at the moment so I was sticking with the Barbie factory for now.

I dropped down onto the ground and brushed myself off as I sneaked over to the Hades’ cabin. We were all going, excluding Juniper who was too scared to come with us. I scraped my long black hair into a braid as I walked past all the different cabins. I was wearing a pair of Valentina’s black jeans and a cropped, tied Camp Half-Blood shirt with black converse. I didn’t know how my cabin-mates managed to find nice outfits that had to incorporate a bright orange t-shirt. Most of them just either cut their tops so they were cropped and paired them with shorts or skater skirts. I didn’t really ‘get’ fashion the way Valentina, Drew or Lacy did, so I just let them dress me.

Valentina was the only one in the cabin that I told what I was doing. I liked the majority of the Aphrodite cabin, and they liked me (well, they did think I was their half-sister) but the only one I felt like I could trust was Valentina. The whole cabin loved gossip, apart from Valentina. I was surprised she was actually Aphrodite’s child. Yes, she loved makeup and clothes, but seemed more laid-back. All the Aphrodite kids were effortlessly beautiful but they were all tightly-strung.

I looked back quickly, at the pink cabin now, thinking about my friends asleep inside. They were all safe here. My heart jumped a bit as I prayed that I wasn’t leading my friends to be destroyed. I didn’t know who I was praying to because all of the gods seemed to hate me right now.

I tried to persuade myself as I walked through the dark, that my friends would be fine. All of their parents were gods, they wouldn’t smite them or throw them off the Empire State building would they?

Hopefully, all the gods would be there. Nico said that they were having a meeting tonight, something about a flute and half-bloods. I wasn’t really listening when he told me, I had been listing the pros and cons of marching into Mount Olympus in my head.

I snuck round the front of the Hades’ cabin and slipped in the black door, shutting it quietly behind me.Nico, Will and Calypso were standing in the room, Nico lying casually on his bed reading, Will pacing the floors and Calypso telling him to stop. “Hello.” I said when none of them noticed me standing there. Nico looked up from his book and said “Hi.”, sitting up as I sat down next to him. Calypso turned around and smiled at me, rolling her eyes at Will who was still pacing. I raised my eyebrow at Nico and he just sighed and shook his head. Will was wearing head to toe black, and it looked like he’d just rummaged through Nico’s closet.

Calypso went up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, “Will, it’s going be fine. You also know you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, ok?” She said, patiently and quietly. Wil looked over at me, then Nico before he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, I’m coming. I’m coming. Gods, I can’t believe it, but I’m coming.” He furrowed his eyes at all three of us, “But I’m not dying. None of us are dying.”

We all nodded and he finally sat down next to me. I smiled at him, trying to hide my laughing and Wil scowled at me before he started laughing too. Me and Will laughed as Nico rolled his eyes and continued to read and Calypso smiled and looked out the window.

When we’d finally stopped I asked Calypso where Leo was. “I don’t know.” She started, “He was meant to be here soon but I don’t thi…”

She was cut off as the front door opened up, “Lets go get some answers!” Leo shouted. He was wearing an outfit very much like Will’s but whereas Will was wearing black jeans, shoes and a jumper, Leo was wearing a black spy costume, complete with a toy laser gun (that he demonstrated by pointing at me) and black goggles over his eyes that looked suspiciously like his crafting goggles colored in.

“Gods.” Nico sighed as he let his book fall on his face.

I rolled my eyes at Leo as Calypso walked up to him, pulled his goggles off and told him to change, briefly asking Nico if Leo could wear some of his clothes, (to which Nico nodded) and shoved Leo into Nico’s massive closet. I guess that was the plus side to having your own cabin (Although Nico had told me about his little sister, Hazel, who sometimes stayed with him), you had enough space to make a massive closet. Even though all of Nico’s clothes looked exactly the same.

As Leo was grumbling and getting changed from spy to emo/goth/ghost king, I brought out my phone, brought up maps and said, “If we get on a bus, we can be there in forty minutes.”

Everyone nodded and ten minutes later, after Leo used some black eyeliner on his eyes to annoy Nico, we walked out of the cabin and in the safety of the dark. Nico managed to shadow travel us all to the nearest bus stop, ignoring Wil’s protests of his health.


	7. Flirting and Fighting - 7

LIA

The bus stop was rather busy considering it was half eleven at night. There were three elderly women, a woman with a pram, a man reading a newspaper, a young man with a labrador and a group of teenagers around our age were all on the bus. And then there were us.

Me in my cropped, tied-up orange camp shirt, black jeans and converse. Nico in his black woollen jumper, back jeans and he had his glasses on. He looked like a Harvard student and I half expected to see him pull out a textbook on law. 

Will and Leo were, respectively, dressed in a light-grey jumper and a black top with a decorative skull on. Both matching with their ripped black jeans. Gods, Nico's wardrobe was depressing. The only thing different from Will and Leo was that Leo had drawn heavy eyeliner under his eyes and refused to take it off.

Calypso was standing next to me in one of Leo's red jumpers (that was too big on her) and light blue jeans. Me and her were the only normal looking ones out of our group, the rest all looked like emo goths, but Calypso had her stunning beauty. Even now, when she hadn't brushed her hair and we had just snuck out of camp, she looked perfect.

We all shuffled onto the bus, Will and Leo carefully balancing Nico between them. Nico normally needed at least an hour of sleep after shadow travelling, and that wasn't when he carried four other people with himself, far distances.

Will and Leo dropped Nico into a seat, his head rolling back as he muttered "I'm fine. I'm fine.", over and over. Will rolled his eyes and slid in next to him, putting his arm around his boyfriend. Nico smiled slightly before he shut his eyes and dropped his head into Will's chest. 

My heart ached slightly at that, and I didn't know why. I just wanted answers, I told myself, that's why I constantly felt empty. But part of me felt that something bigger was missing, especially whenever I saw Nico and Will together or Leo and Calypso, even when Juniper talked about Grover. I felt like something was missing, and it was killing me that I didn't know what it was. 

I sighed and shimmied into a seat at the window so Calypso could sit next to me. Leo stood at her side, holding onto a pole so that he didn't fall over. I laughed as Calypso held his neck and rubbed his eyeliner off. "You look like a panda." I grinned, as the bus started to move forward. "Rawr." Leo growled, acting like a panda. 

"Pandas dont 'rawr'." Calypso smiled, eyebrow raised. "They squeak."

I started to laugh but was cut off by one of the teenagers behind us. There were five of them. Three blonde pretty girls and two handsome guys. The guys were grinning at me and Calypso and it sent chills through my neck, while the three girls were giggling at Leo. 

"You can roar at me if you want." said the prettiest girl in the middle. She had pretty, sandy, bouncy curls, and amazing piercing blue eyes. Calypso snorted and grabbed Leo's hand and I was, and I think Calypso was too, expecting Leo to turn back around to us. But he didn't. He simply smiled at the pretty girl and grinned. "What's your name?" He asked, showing her his pearly white teeth. 

Calypso looked at me with hurt and pain in her dark eyes. I shrugged, confused by Leo's actions. Sure, he was flirtatious but he loved Calypso and he never stepped over the line. And right now he was a fingernail's width away from it. 

"Peach." She smiled sweetly at Leo. I snorted, staring daggers at her. 

"Peaches?" I laughed, "Gods, that's embarrassing." Then she growled at me, actually hissed. I moved back in my seat in alarm and looked at Calypso for confirmation that that had actually just happened. A girl had freaking hissed at me! But Calypso was just staring at Leo, gripping his hand as he walked closer to Peach and her friends. Finally, their hands fell apart and Calypso made a small whimpering sound. 

Nico and Will turned around in their seats, asking me what was going on. I briefly explained as Leo edged closer and closer towards Peach. He was loudly flirting, ignoring me and our friends. "You have nice hair, let me touch it?" He cocked his head, a flirty grin on his face. Peach smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes looked...hungry. And they were locked on Leo. 

I looked around the bus, but none of the adults seemed to be watching or caring. I shuddered and turned back round, ready to shout at Leo when I saw it. Leo jumped back, blinking. "No." He growled at Peach. 

That was when I knew Leo had seen it. I wanted to scream and shout at my friends, at everyone on this bus. I wanted to tell everyone to get off, but I was stuck to my seat in fear.

Because Peach's blue, pretty eyes had turned glaring, hungry red. 

Leo turned to Calypso and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of her seat. "Leo?" She asked him tears swelling in her beautiful eyes. He looked at her and took both of her hands in his. "Me and you. Always. I'm not leaving you. Ever." Calypso smiled and she went on tiptoes and pressed their foreheads together. 

Of course, Calypso had been so upset over Leo flirting with another girl. She had been stuck on an island for years. And every time the fates had given her a hero to love, he'd always leave her for his true love back home. No wonder Calypso had looked so broken when Leo had pulled away.

It was only when I heard the low hum of a sword being drawn, when I turned from Calypso and Leo, who also pulled apart still hand in hand. 

Nico was now standing, dark eyes turned to slits, gripping his three-feet pitch-black sword. The bus' lights went out and the shadows and darkness seemed to crawl towards Nico. He was grasping his sword and I could basically hear his teeth grinding. Then I saw why.

Will seemed to be frozen, arm out reaching for Peach. Will was smiling openly and he was not even an inch away from her.

Peach was still baring her hungry grin but she wasn't a blonde, long-legged sisxteen-year old anymore. She was a monster. She had flaming hair, pasty white skin, pointy fangs, one bronze leg and one hind donkey leg. The two girls and two boys were also all now, monstrous donkey-robot-demon hybrids.

I screamed along with Calypso but Leo just lightly pushed her behind him and summoned his hammer from his tool-belt (that I hadn't even noticed under the long t-shirt). And Nico stayed still, barely breathing as he whispered, "Will. Will." He was trying to reach out to Will, who was being entranced by Peach, the crazy demon.

I swallowed and drew my sword out of my scabbard. I'd found the weapon discarded at the back of the weaponry back at camp and it'd felt like it was calling me. When I'd picked it up and passed it from hand to hand I'd felt a sudden urge of power jolt through me. Running up to the Big House, I'd waved it around and cut down tall blades of grass with the sword.

It was a beautiful blade, light and manageable. It was gold and intricately carved with flowers and fish and rolling hills. It was beautifully powerful.

I'd asked Chiron if I could keep it and he'd said yes, it was now mine. He'd taken it from me, ran his fingers along the carvings and told me where the sword had come from.

It'd belonged to Perseus, and he'd used it to decapitate Medusa, centuries ago. He'd named it Harpe. And now it was mine. At night, I'd sat silent in my bed and watched to the sword come to life. It seemed that in the dark the carvings moved as if they were alive. The fish swam, the flowers swayed in non-existent wind and birds flew high. 

Harpe's designs were moving now in the darkness Nico had created in his rage. I gripped it as I stood silently next to Nico. I wasn't sure if he was breathing. He wasn't looking at Will, just Peach. She laughed a hideous screeching laugh and I tightened my grip on Harpe. "I'm going to kill you." Nico said with deathly quietness.

"I'm not so sure you will, son of Hades. I'm afraid your lover is mine now."

A snarl ripped out of Nico as he charged forwards and I felt a smile crawl up my face as he brought his sword down, ready to kill Peach, but my heart stopped when Nico froze mid-kill. "Gods." I whispered as I heard Calypso cry out. I risked a look backwards and my face fell as I saw that Leo was also frozen completely still. Calypso started crying and shaking Leo furiously, telling him to snap out of it. 

I breathed in and out, before I twirled Harpe in my hand and faced the monsters. I put on a brave face and grinned cockily at Peach, even though my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest.

"Look...whatever you are. We're all having such great fun with you guys, but I'm afraid we don't have time for this. Ok?" I said, bitting my lip so hard that I felt a hot, metallic tang of blood. 

The monsters screeched before Peach snarled at me and reached out. I ducked and twirled to the side, trying very hard not to scream. Calypso was still sobbing and everyone else on the bus was still just either standing or siting, ignoring us. "Stop." Peach whispered but it came out weird and distorted. But sure enough, Calypso instantly stopped sobbing and froze, hand still on Leo's also frozen face.

My throat bobbed as Peach turned to look at me before she shouted stop, again in the same distorted voice. 

Then I snorted. "Charmspeak doesn't work on me, honey."

Then I swung down Harpe and it sliced through the air with a low hum as it crashed into Peach. I called on the electricity buzzing through the whole bus and directed it at the two left monsters. I called on the thick rain from outside. The rain smashed through the windows, shattering the glass and slammed into the two monsters on the right.

They all started to get up, one at a time, but I sliced with Harpe and dodged their claws. I cut and sliced while I hailed the thunderous water. I diced and dodged as I controlled the raging electricity. I must have looked a sight, as I cut, electrified and drowned the monsters.

I panted as I looked down at the dead monsters that were all changing into flecks of dust. They floated off out of the smashed window into the night air, as I fell against the side of a seat. My breathing was heavy as all my friend collapsed, but sure enough they were all breathing too. I sighed as Nico, Leo, Will and Calypso all got up, alive. Leo enveloped Calypso in a hug and patted her head as she sobbed. Nico hugged Will tight, muttering things that I couldn't hear. For a couple of minutes I just stood there in the middle of the still moving bus, clutching Harpe, swaying and sweating. Then all my friends rushed over and hugged me as I silently sobbed into their embrace. What had just happened? I dropped Harpe and held onto Nico as I felt the bus come to a stop. "New York City Centre. Empire State Stop. Everyone off." The bus driver called as I pulled out of Nico's embrace and looked out of the window up at the Empire State Building. "Let's go get some answers." I said, as Leo passed me Harpe, covered in dark blood.


	8. Olympus and 'Oh Gods' - 8

All five of us awkwardly stood in the elevator, in the middle of a crowd of people in suits and pencil skirts, all holding briefcases. Well, three of us stood there, the other two were making out. It was Calypso and Leo, if you hadn't guessed. Nico was scowling at them, but he was also clutching Will's hand. Which I thought was a bit hypocritical but because of the circumstances I let it slide. I knew Nico wasn't big on PDA so there must be a reason why he was clasping Will's hand, obviously extremely hard. But even though Nico's face was straight and poised, his dark eyes were screaming in fear for Will. You could tell by the way that he kept shooting quick glances at Will and also how he was eyeballing everyone else in the elevator with suspicion. 

I tried to roll my eyes but I couldn't, I was just too damn tired. Was it possible for your bones to be tired? I thought as I sighed, leaning against the elevator wall, clenching Harpe for comfort. I didn't know what the adults crowded in here were seeing what I was holding through the mist and I didn't care. Harpe was giving me a sense of comfort. Sure, I'd rather have gained comfort from an actual living thing, but Nico's face was stone-cold, I wasn't sure Will was breathing, Calypso and Leo were playing tonsil tennis and I wasn't about to hug a random adult in a random elevator. 

I wasn't sure why I was so terrified. It might have been because of what had just happened or what was going to happen...in about two minutes. As I watched the numbers light up, counting down and down and down, I felt like I was going to pass out. When all the adults in their fancy work clothes walked out, they raised their eyebrows at us so I stared back at them, sticking my tongue out at the last man who walked out, who had stuck his nose up at us. 

I kinda understood their thought process. I must have looked like a homeless kid, with my teared clothes and cut up, bleeding face. But it still made me angry. I breathed out and waited before the doors shut onto the first floor and looked around at my friends. Calypso and Leo had finally stopped making out and Calypso nodded at me, faithfully while Leo was trying to grin at me but he was still a bit frozen so his smile looked a bit creepy. 

Nico was still clasping onto Will's hand furiously but he smiled faintly at me. Will was just staring blankly at the wall behind me. I nodded back to all my friends before I swallowed and pushed the key (the guard at the front desk had given me when I'd shown him Harpe) into the security slot. The card disappeared but a new button appeared. It was lit up, red and had the number 600 on it.

Generic elevator music played as we stood there, waiting for the door to open. 'Having fun with you...having fun in the sun.' I wanted to cringe so badly but it felt like the wrong time. Nico was angrier than I'd ever seen him, Leo was too sore to smile, Calypso didn't want to laugh and Will seemed just...broken. 

'Having fun with you...having fun in the fun sun. It's such a fun time in the fun sun.' 

Finally, the doors dang open. We were standing on light-grey stone walkway, drifting high up in the air. Below us was Manhattan, from a birds-eye view. In front of us a massive, grey, marble staircase wound up the spine of a fluffy cloud, into the blue sky. 

I felt my mouth drop open and I gripped Harpe even harder as I felt my friends walk up beside me. "It was originally white marble." Nico said quietly. "But Annabeth liked the grey." 

"Oh gods." I whispered as I looked around. The white clouds seemed to swim in and out of each other. I cocked my head as I noticed fishes made of clouds swim in and out of the fluffy white sea. "Fishes?" I asked Nico, smiling faintly. 

"Annabeth swore that it was purely decoration, but everyone knows its homage to her boyfriend..."

"Percy Jackson." I finished. As I said the guy's name the fish seemed to jump up into the air and the cloud sea started to shake and roar. I managed to roll my eyes and Nico managed a small laugh. "He's kind of...a massive big deal here." He said, "Like...immense hero." 

I sighed as I started to walk forwards. Who was is this guy? He must be some sort of amazing godlike guy. He'd turned down immortality. He'd defeated almost every monster out there. Gods, he must be amazing. 

We all walked up the stairs and my mouth fell open again. At the top of this freaking cloud, was a whole city. In front of us, in the distance was a massive palace. All the buildings here were a blend of roman and greek styles. We walked through what I assumed was the main street. There were markets and parks. There were roses and market stalls, with satyrs trying to sell us ambrosia-on-a-stick. 

The trip through Olympus was a bit of a daze. A couple of nymphs threw grapes at us from their garden as we walked through the main road. I noticed some people stare at us. I prayed (I don't know who to because the gods were, I hate to say it, but I will...jerks) that no-one knew who I was. Hopefully, none of the campers had told their friends in Olympus who I was. Claimed by Aphrodite, Zeus and Poseidon. Gods, what I title I had.

Everyone definitely knew who Nico was because as he walked past, they slightly cowered in fear. Nico definitely knew that everyone definitely knew who he was because when they slightly cowered in fear he drew his stygian sword and swung it  around, so they cowered even more as he grinned. 

Everyone definitely knew who Leo and Calypso were too because as they walked past, hand in hand, nymphs and other girls (that were blue instead of green), started crying and wailing "Team Leo. Team Leo. TEAM LEO!" Some of them even literally threw themselves at Leo. Normally he would've finger-gunned them, or given them the classic-Leo grin or even smiled at them. But Leo just politely nodded at them and squeezed Calypso's hand. 

We got to the massive palace. It was crafted out of grey marble and columns. We walked up to the bottom of the steps before we all stopped walking.

"Will's not going in." Nico said, calm and hard. At the mention of his name and probably also the fact that Nico was the one who had said it, Will blinked and for the first time he actually looked up at us as if he'd just seen us for the first time. His blank eyes started to twinkle again as he looked up at Nico, "What?" He quietly said, but not in the way that he was asking, more as if he was telling.  

Nico faintly smiled down at Will and squeezed his hand, "Babe, I'm sorry, but something's going on with you right now and its not your fault but...but I'm not letting you go in there, ok?" Nico said, lovingly but sternly.

Instead of arguing Will just swallowed and nodded, and sighing, he gently dropped Nico's hand and sat on the smooth grey step. Nico looked down at Will for a minute, in what seemed like a mix of pity and heartbreak, before he turned to me, patted me on the shoulder and nodded. "Good luck." He said, as he sat down next to Will on the steps and gripped his hands in his own. 

Part of me knew what Nico would say when we reached these steps, but the other part of me had hoped he would choose me over Will. Which was a bad thing to say, I know, don't kill me, but I...I don't know if I could go in there without Nico. I loved everyone here, but I thought of Nico as my best friend. I got along with him the most, we had more in common and I...I don't know why but I just connect with him more.

Calypso seemed to understand what I was thinking because she sat down next to Nico and looked up at me, smiling. "I can't go in there." She said quietly, as if she was ashamed of it. I knew who her dad was, and I knew what Calypso had done in the first war. But that was over now. Calypso was a truly good person, who'd been practically tortured and forgotten by the gods for years. She'd done her jail-time, but she was still ashamed by her father. Even though she'd won her freedom. 

"I'll stay with Will, ok Nico?" She asked. Nico's throat seemed to tighten up as he looked between Will, Calypso and me. 

"No...I can't...I'm...I won't leave him. I. Won't.Leave.Him." Nico said, looking down at Will, but Will just looked up at Nico and shook his head. "I know." He smiled, the smile finally reaching his amazing blue eyes, "I know. You're not going to leave me, Nico." He gripped Nico's hand, that seemed to be shaking, "And I'm not...I'm never going to leave you. Ever. But you...you need to go in there. Your dad's Hades, Nico. Lia needs you on her side, ok? I'm gonna be fine. I'll see you soon." He smiled and squeezed Nico's hand before he gently let go and faced Calypso. "We're gonna go get fro-yo." He said, nodding to Leo and me before he quickly kissed Nico and walked off with Calypso who waved goodbye. I slung Harpe in to the scabbard, slung around my waist.

"Ok." I said. "Ok...ok...ok.Ok." I laughed nervously, "oooookay." I grinned a bit too big. 

Leo rolled his eyes before he squeezed my hand and laughed. Nico shut his eyes, breathed in and out before he also took my hand in his and sighed. "Let's go." I said. We walked up the grey marble stairs together, hand in hand.


	9. Finger-Gunning and Fainting - 9

LIA

The steps led up to a central courtyard. That was filled to the brim with green trees of all kinds and colourful blooming flowers. Past the green courtyard was the throne room. I felt my mouth drop open again as I took it in. Nico whispered to me that it'd been even bigger before but Annabeth'd felt like the gods had needed to downgrade. This was a downgrade? I thought, as we walked further in.

Massive grey columns rose to the domed ceiling which seemed to be painted in moving pictures, like Harpe. There were shining constellations, but there was also flowers growing and blooming, flowers wilting and dying. Scenes that depicted love, people of all sorts kissing and holding hands. Pictures that showed swimming dolphins diving up and down. Scenes of families and flames and flying. There were books with words flying off of the pages. And there was the moon and the sun, hanging right next to each other.

I figured that all the different paintings were signs of respect to the gods. 

And I figured that the twenty-one huge thrones that were sitting there, in a U shape, were also to do with the gods. It wasn't that hard to figure out...especially since every single one of the thrones was currently occupied. With three feet large people...sorry, gods. And all twenty-one of them were staring at me, Leo and Nico. Well, I kinda think they were but it was hard to tell because whenever I looked at them I started feeling like my insides were burning up. I breathed in and out, put on a straight face and started to walk forwards. My footsteps were the only sound in the throne room for a couple of seconds before Nico and Loe's steps joined mine.

I walked past all the gods, head straight, until I reached who I assumed was Zeus. He sat on a throne of solid platinum. His silvery-white throne was simple, no decorations or carvings, no jewels or diamonds. For some reason it made me hate him more.

Zeus himself was also quite simple, he was wearing a dark-blue suit and it didn't have any crinkles what so ever. He had a neat beard of whites and greys and blacks. It looked a bit like a storm. Go figure.

I quickly glanced to his right and saw a god that was very clearly his brother. They had the same stern look but this god had sun-crinkles around his eyes, which told me he smiled a lot. Well, a lot more than his brother. Poseidon sat on a fisherman's chair. His black hair was the exact same shade as mine- like ink as Juniper had said. And his sea-green eyes were also mine. The deep green that was the colour of the water in a storm, the colour of seaweed on the shore. The colour of my eyes.

I looked back at Zeus, my hand subconsciously drifting over Harpe's hilt. Zeus raised an eyebrow at me and looked like he was going to say something before someone interrupted him. "Nico." A voice said with a mixture of warning and threatening but also concern. The voice sounded deep and oily. If snakes could talk, they would all sound like this. I looked to my right and saw, two thrones down from Zeus, Hades. 

He did look a lot like Nico...but harsher, with more defined features. They had the same shade of black hair, although Hades' reached his shoulders, they had the same dark eyes, they even had the same posture. Back straight, hands in fists, lip curled and no emotion in their faces.

"Father." Nico replied, dark-brown eyes turning to slits. It looked like emotion flashed quickly across Hades' dark eyes, but as soon as I though it was there, it was gone. He stared at Nico with now, hard eyes and opened his mouth to say more, but Nico had already turned away from him, his back now facing his dad.

"Leo?" A deep voice said. Two seats down from Hades was a huge and muscular god. Hephaestus. But I thought he was meant to be ugly and deformed. Sure, he wasn't model material or even remotely handsome but he didn't look how Leo had described. 

Then I caught it, a slight shimmer of magic fell and if I'd blinked I would've missed it. Hephaestus was using magic to clean himself up a bit, and in that glimpse I saw what he really looked like. And it was exactly as Leo had described. Maybe even worse.

"Dadio." Leo grinned, finger-gunning and making matching gun noises at his dad. Hephaestus scowled but Leo was still grinning, "What's up?" Then he laughed at himself, "Us, I guess. Get it?" He asked, before he shrugged, "Geez, you godly gods aren't big on humour are you? That's fine, I could feel the tension in this room from a mile away. Must have been a pretty big fight you guys had up here. Well, I guess that's basically every time you all meet up, isn't it."

"Leo." His dad warned him, his voice sharper now. Leo grinned and shrugged but he continued anyway.

"I would not want to be in your shoes at Christmas, dad. Gods, that must be horrible." He spun round to Aphrodite, who I remembered from when she invaded my dreams. My eyes turned to slits as I looked at her and she just smiled prettily at me, obviously trying not to let Zeus know that she'd shown up in my dreams. I sarcastically smiled back at her, as Leo laugehd and pointed, "I bet she's impossible to get a present for."

When an awkward silence fell over the room, Leo sighed and rolled his eyes, "I forgot, sorry...bad senses of humour. That's chill. We're not here for jokes anyway." Then he turned to me, nodded to his dad and gently pushed me forward. He whispered in my ear,  "Try not get us thrown off Olympus, k?" I rolled my eyes and whispered back.

"Pretty sure you just did it for me." I felt him step back, and I instantly wanted a hug. I didn't care who from. I just wanted a hug. Now.

I breathed in and faced Zeus. "You have something that belongs to me." I said, proud and loud, trying desperately to not show my fear.

Zeus laughed and leaned forward in his throne, "You have something that belongs to me too, girl." He spat. I felt the anger rise up in me, what was he on about?

"Give me my memories back." I said, angrily, clenching my fists. 

"No." Zeus simply said, leaning back in his chair. 

That was when my breaking point snapped. At that moment, in that instant, I was blinded by a three-course serving of rage that tasted bitter, yet surprisingly satisfying as I felt a wind start to sway my dark hair. My fingers tightly curled around Harpe's hilt. I wanted to smash Harpe into Zeus' stupid face. What an improvement that would be. But I just clenched my fists and replied, teeth grinding.

"Pardon, lord?" I asked.

"I said 'no'." He grinned as if he was enjoying this. "Not until I get what you have that's mine." 

From the corner of my eye I noticed Poseidon move slightly in his throne. So he was either uncomfortable or he disagreed. I guessed it was the latter.

"I do not have anything of yours." I said calmly. "I woke up on a beach, with nothing. Including my memories. I'm now asking for them back. Lord." I met Zeus' stormy grey eyes and saw that his smile had gone.

"Your life." He said, not taking his eyes away from mine. I felt the tension in the room rise, as if all the gods and goddesses were holding their breath. "I want your life." Zeus said, as he stood up and slammed his sceptre onto the smooth, grey marble, causing it to chip and crack. 

I instinctively stepped back as his enormous self stood up and pointed his staff at me, white lightning crackling around it, threatening me. Time seemed to slow down as the lightning left the sceptre and danced through the air, towards me. Poseidon and a goddess on my left stood up quickly, as Leo and Nico ran towards me. 

I shut me eyes briefly, channeling all my power forwards. I reached out, feeling for that shock, that buzz of electricity. It was just like on the bus, I thought to myself, as I felt the bolt skim my power. I pushed out, grabbing hold of the electricity. I pushed against it as it still fought to get to me. And I made the electricity stop in midair. 

I opened my eyes so I could meet Zeus' eyes. He didn't even look angry anymore, he was just blank. My breathing sped up as Poseidon sat back down on his throne. But the goddess still stood. She had long dark hair, stunning grey eyes and she was beautiful, in my opinion, even more so than Aphrodite. Because this goddess radiated power and strength. But as she looked down at me, I realised she also looked terrifying. It was only when she dropped my gaze and looked to her right when I noticed him.

A boy had been standing there the whole time. He had slightly wavy blonde hair, striking grey eyes and he was wearing white robes. If we'd been back at camp, I would have strutted over to him and introduced myself. But we weren't at camp, and this guy was probably a minor god or something. I gazed at him for a second longer, before he rolled his eyes at me and looked up at the goddess. Slightly offended I copied him and quickly looked back up at the goddess who had started to talk. "I will not let you kill the child. She is obviously powerful, and we do not destroy powerful things here." She thought for a second before continuing, "There is no need."

Zeus looked from her to me, and I expected him to threaten her but he just fell back into his throne and nodded slowly. "Fine." He said. "If I could not kill her with my lighting, then she is not meant to die today." He leaned forward slightly as his lip curled, "But if you ever disrespect me again girl, I will personally throw you off of Olympus myself." And with that he leaned back into his throne before he disappeared. 

It was silent for a while before Poseidon stood again. But this time he actually walked down form his throne and stood before me. He slowly shrank a bit, before he was a average human man's height. "Lia." He said, as he gripped his trident. "You...you are my daughter. My flesh and blood. I know Zeus claimed you, and I shall explain everything... Well, rather I will allow Chiron too explain. None here knew that Aphrodite was planning to claim you, but that was a mistake and she apologises," He shot a look over at Aphrodite, who just shrugged, still smiling and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. "You are very strong, Lia. I am...I am proud of you." He clasped my shoulder and smiled faintly, "Zeus has agreed to let you live for now, but I don't know about your memories just yet." I nodded, trying to hold back tears. That was the whole reason we'd come here. And I wasn't even going to get my memories back. "Leave it with me, I'll try my best, daughter." He said, before he smiled again and disappeared, leaving a small puddle of water where he'd been standing. 

I stood there silently for a while as I watched all the other gods and goddesses leave. I watched Nico and his father have a brisk discussion before Nico curtly nodded to his dad and made his way over to me as his father watched as Nico left, then, scowling, disappeared into thin tendrils of smoke. 

Leo nodded to his father, who slightly smiled before disappearing in a fit of flames. One by one the gods and goddesses left, until it was only me, my friends and two goddesses left in the room. It was the dark haired goddess with the grey eyes and a goddess who only looked around ten. 

And she was beckoning me over. I looked at Nico and Leo, eyes wide open and asking for help, but they both just shrugged. I grudgingly walked over to the young girl. She had mousy brown hair and was wearing a simple, green coloured dress, that was slightly frayed at the edges. But it was her eyes that were intriguing. They were red. But not like, evil red. As, I looked into them I felt warm and fuzzy inside, like I was looking at pictures of baby kittens hugging puppies. 

The girl smiled up at me and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

I didn't know, and I was going to tell her that, when a sudden overwhelming sensation came over me. "Hestia." I answered, shocking myself, "Goddess of hearth, home, the right ordering of domesticity, and family."

She smiled up at me, nodding and touched my hand. "I can't give you what you wish, child but I can help." Her red eyes shone as she smiled. I nodded, stupidly agreeing before I asked her what sort of help she wanted to give me. Then I fainted onto the cold, hard marble floor. Again.


	10. Silas and Sighing - 10

LIA

I woke up with Leo's stupid face in my face. I reached up, still drowsy and pushed him away, my hand making contact with his nose. I laughed a hearty laugh as I recalled how I used to do that to dad.

Then I sat up straight, scanning the room for Hestia, but she was gone. Only the dark haired goddess and the blonde guy were still here, and they were both murmering quietly to each other, ignoring us.

”Oh gods.” I said quietly, taking Leo’s hand as he helped me up. He cocked his head at me and Nico put his hand on my shoulder.

"Lia?” Nico asked, glancing at the goddess. “What did Hestia do?” When I didn’t reply he continued, “She just grabbed your hand and you passed out. Lia?” 

It was becoming harder and harder to swallow. I looked at Nico and Leo, then a massive smile started to stretch across my face. “She gave me some of my memories back.” Then it dawned on me. I excitedly looked at Nico and Leo who were both flabbergasted. “She’s the goddess of home and family, right? That’s why she said she could only help me.” My breathing sped up quicker and quicker, “I remember my family and...and my home.” Then I slowed down. “I’m...I'm Percy Jackson’s sister.”

Leo shrugged, “But we knew that already. Half-siblings. Same dad.”

I shook my head. Gods. “Same...same mum too.” I said quietly. I let myself plop down onto the floor. “I...Posideon...dad he...he broke the oath twice, with the same woman and he was terrified for me...so he took me to his palace to hide me. But Zeus found out about me and cursed me...that’s why he doesn’t want me alive. The curse...it backfired....that’s why I have all the same powers Zeus’ own kids have. He tried to kill me but ultimately made me more powerful."

”But why was your dad so scared?” Nico wondered aloud, “My dad broke the oath with the same woman twice, and then again with a different woman. And Zeus himself broke the oath twice. All three of them did it.”

"But dad didn’t know that till recently.” I answered, overwhelmed by everything. I remembered living with my dad in his palace, he’d been an actual dad to me. We’d swam together and he used to braid my hair. And he’d tell me about my mum and older brother. I wondered if Percy knew he had a sister. I wondered if now I could finally meet him, and mum.

”Zeus must have found out where dad had been hiding me. I must have fled, but not in time, because he got my memories.”

”You have them all back now though, don’t you?” Leo asked, sitting down next to me.

”No.”I signed, “I can feel gaps in my memories." I said, "Like...like there's some things missing." 

Nico looked deep in though as he sat down with Leo and me. His dark eyes were still and Nico always bit his lip when he was thinking. "Maybe...Hestia's the goddess of family and home right?" I nodded and Nico continued, "So maybe... maybe you need other gods to help you. Like Aphrodite, or Philotes..."

I was about to ask him who Phiotes was when the dark haired goddess and the blonde guy came over to us. "Do you know who I am?" She asked me, eyebrows raised. What was with gods asking if I knew who they were? From the way she talked and the way she held herself I concluded who she was. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. It's an honour to meet you."

Athena cocked her head at me, and smiled an unsure smile, "And to you, Lia, daughter of Poseidon." She nodded at Leo and Nico and greeted them by name. Nico said hello respectfully but Leo just grinned and said 'Hi Annabeth's mom.'.

She raised an eyebrow at them before she signaled at the blonde boy to come over.

"Silas!" Leo laughed. He stood up and wrapped the blonde boy in a massive hug, who awkwardly stood there for a second before he clapped Leo's back back. When they pulled apart, Silas nodded to Nico, who also dipped his head.

Then he met my eyes. His eyes scanned over me, like I was a target and he was deciding how to destroy me. They looked like they were calculating everything about me, my height, my size and I saw how he eyed Harpe. His grey eyes were beautiful, but it was the way he used them made me feel uneasy. 

But in the end he decided not to attack me. He just looked down at my camp shirt then back up at me before he simply said, "You're bleeding." And as I looked down at myself, I saw that I was. A line had been sliced across my abdomen. I touched it and a splat of sticky, warm blood stained my fingers. I looked back up at Silas and furrowed my eyebrows, "Yes. Thanks for that information."

Athena rolled her eyes as she waved her hand in the air. The slice across my stomach started to heal itself, stitching itself back together. Even though my clothes were ruined and there were cuts and slices all over my body, I probably still looked beautiful. Aphrodite's stupid blessing still hadn't worn off yet. I put my hands on my hips as Athena carried on, "You all must return back to camp now." She looked at all three of us, before she turned to Silas, "You must too my son. Your time with me is over." 

Silas' previously composed face was now painted in confusion, "Mother. I...I'm not meant to go back to camp for two more months. I was meant to go back with Annabeth."

Athena smiled in pity and put her hand on her son's shoulder, "Annabeth will be returning sooner that we all had imagined."

Silas opened his mouth again to protest but Athena cut him off "No. You are returning to Camp Half-Blood tonight, Silas. You shall escort Leo, Nico, Calypso, Will and Lia home."

"How did you..." I started to ask but Athena was gone. The only people left in the throne room was me, Leo, Silas and Nico. Three out of the four of us were relived and started laughing while the other one just walked straight out of the room. We ran to catch up with Silas and together we all started to climb down the steps. "I can't believe we just did that!" I cried out. "I have some of my memories back. I can remember my home and my dad."

Leo laughed along with me and started skipping down the stairs. Nico chuckled quietly and walked alongside me. Silas hurrumphed and started storming down the stairs. I looked to Nico in confusion. Surely Nico knew what was going on, this grumpy kid goes to camp with him, but Nico shrugged making a face that seemed to say, Don't ask me.

 

 

All six of us were now standing crowded in the elevator, but this time we were going down. We'd picked up Will and Calypso at some frozen yogurt and together we'd all headed out. As we'd walked through Olympus I couldn't stop smiling. I'd gotten what I'd come for. Well, some of it, and I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I felt like I could finally breathe again, everything made sense. 

As we'd strolled through Olympus I'd looked around. I'd peered up at the gardens perched up in the sky, filled with olive trees and roses. A stone coliseum and a amphitheatre had been behind me, next to the mountain. The nine muses had been playing various instruments while a crowd of satyrs, nymphs and good-looking teenagers had watched on. The teenagers were probably minor gods and goddesses. I swear, one of the guys'd winked at me, so I'd mocked embarrassment but smiled back, batting my eyelashes.

I was now laughing with Calypso, telling her everything I could remember about everything but when Silas rolled his storm grey eyes for the fifth time in two minutes I snapped. "Dude, what's wrong. Yeah, your mum kicked you off of your little 'training experience' but its not my fault, so stop. Ok?" I sighed and put my hands on my waist, staring at him.

His grey eyes seemed to darken and he laughed spitefully, "It is your fault. Everythings your fault. You've started a rift between the gods and you don't even know yet." Then he turned around so he was facing the doors, his back to me.

I growled and was about to argue with him when the elevator doors pinged open and he walked straight out. What was this guys problem with me? I needed to knowCalypso squeezed my arm, and Nico told me to forget him but I couldn't. Leo was the only one who noticed what I was about to do, so he slid his arm out from around Calypso and grabbed my arm. His light brown eyes seem to say, don't, its not worth it. But I had to, part of me didn't even know why, and my brain told me don't. But the other part of me was telling me to do it. And that part won.

So I stormed out of the elevator and ran after Silas into the streets of New York City, without a phone, a map, money and any way to contact my friends. 


	11. Chimeras and Cornered - 11

LIA

I lost Silas almost immediately. It was now morning, peak rush hour. Hundreds of people crowded the streets, so closely packed together that I could hardly see. I sighed and started pushing forward, past all the bodies. The bright light of the sun was too much for me to handle and the smell of fresh bagels made my stomach groan. I was tired and I just wanted to go back to camp. But I had to find Silas first. Ignoring the smell of freshly baked goods I continued to push forward.

I squeezed through people and people and people until I finally stumbled into a people-free lane. It looked extremely dodgy, there was bottles of beer strewn everywhere, old newspapers huddled up together and a stained mattress was leaning on the side of a building. I shuddered and went to leave, when I heard a rustle behind a mound of old cardboard boxes. "Hello." I called out as I made my way closer, stepping over the beer bottles and crushing on glass.

I pulled out Harpe and was about to push the boxes out of the way when a massive, dark figure rose up from behind the boxes. "Gods." I said under my breath as I dropped Harpe with a clang onto the ground. It was a massive chimera. With all of its heads. Yep, thats right. All three of them. This was when I decided never to run off after someone on my own ever again.

It pounded towards me and I had to fall completely down, so it leapt straight over me. I crawled over to Harpe and panting I stood up and tried to survive. The chimera kept breathing fire at me and because there wasn't any water near by, I had to keep ducking. I tried to slice at it, but it was hard when I had to avoid its snake head and its tail. 

So, I just kept panting, ducking, dodging, slicing and cutting. It was extremely strong and could crush me with its paws, so I couldn't let myself get stuck under it. But as soon as I tried a new plan the chimera figured it out, because he had human intelligence.

Panting, I prayed as I swerved to the side, cornering myself. I cursed colourfully, tired and out manoeuvred. I tried to push my power out, reaching for the electricity in the buildings beside me, but I only managed to push out a few sparks, that barely scared the damn thing, but it was enough. As, it snarled and moved its head to the right, I managed to roll to the side and I finally had it cornered. I had it where I wanted it. I sliced into it, and deep red blood started splattering onto the floor and it started to sway. Finally.

I tried to slice the snake head, but it swerved, used its paw to chuck Harpe away and bit my arm with its fangs. I immediately collapsed onto my knees, my whole body started shaking and my breathing got irregular. I fell hard against the brick wall and I swear I heard the damned thing laugh, as blood started dripping down my head.

Its lion paw was inches away from my face when it suddenly roared and jerked to the side. My eyes were fluttering shut quickly and I could feel myself losing consciousness but I forced myself to keep my eyes open. That's when I saw him. He now had a bronze knife and was using close combat to beat the chimera. He cut its lion ear off, and as it roared in pain and frustration, he vaulted over it, closer to me. 

It was all a blur and I only really caught the end of the fight. I watched as he sliced the lion head off then plunged his knife into its chest. Then, leaving his knife in the chimera's body as it dissolved to dust, he ran over to me. His white robes were stained with deep red blood, and it was slashed up. I laughed as my eyes closed.

"You're bleeding." I whispered as Silas swore and lifted me up into his arms, carrying me out of the alley.


	12. Sun-God and Stumbling - 12

LIA

I woke up in a cot in the middle of the Apollo cabin. I instantly knew it was the Apollo cabin because of the cedar beams that I was looking up at, and the general cleanliness of the place. And the faint smell of sage and linen. And the bright sunny flowers blooming, that only flowered in and around the Apollo cabin. Oh...and the fact that Will was half murmuring and half singing, while clutching my hand. I tried to sit up but I couldn't. I couldn't move...I was paralysed from the waist down. Thankfully my mouth still worked. 

"WILL!"

Will looked at me startled while I screamed. "WHY CAN'T I MOVE?" 

Will started looking panicked as Nico ran in, slamming open the door. "Stop screaming Lia." Will told me, his brows furrowed. Nico came over and clasped his hand over my mouth. I tried to lightly bite him but he just smirked down at me and shook his head. "Your dads on his way Will, just keep chanting."

While Nico was talking to Will, my legs started to shake and my arms felt like they were on fire. The chimera. It bit me. Silas. Gods.

Ignoring the pain in my body, I licked Nico's hand so I could get his attention. He jumped back, wiping his hand on his jeans and looked down at me and when he saw the sweat dripping down my head, he looked at Will with fear in his eyes. "Will. Start singing!" Wil swore colourfully and slid over to me, clutched my clammy hand and started singing his low, deep song again. I started groaning as the pain soared and seared up my legs to my arms. "Si..." I tried to speak as Nico cringed at me, shaking in fear. "What happened to...to." I silently cursed myself, why couldn't I speak? "Where's Silas?" I managed to get out. 

Nico smiled, (which was completely inappropriate due to the circumstances, aka. me groaning in pain) rolled his eyes and said, "He's fine, now please shut up." He lightly lay his hand on my shoulder and squeezed while Will carried on singing and clenching my hand. The pain grew and grew and I think I started screaming but everything was going in slow motion and was fuzzy so I couldn't really tell. But as sore and painful as I got, finally after a couple minutes, or it might have hours, the pain subdued and I once again, was paralysed but not in any pain.

I breathed in and out slowly before I asked Nico what Will was doing. 

"He's uh... using vitakinesis... to uh...paralyse you until Apollo gets here."

"What?" I asked, astonished and confused, trying to ignore Will's low mumbling.

"Apollo's going to come and heal you. We hope."

"Why?" I asked, blowing strands of hair out of my face.

"Will can't fully heal you, Lia. You got bitten by a chimera. Wills just paralysing you so you aren't in unbearable pain." 

Nico looked down at me in pity, "I could try and heal you with my darkness, but it doesn't work for everyone and I don't want to risk hurting you."

"Gods." I said quietly, "I'm going to die."

Nico squeezed my shoulder again and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something when light suddenly burst into the room, causing Nico, me and Will to look at the door. Which was a stupid idea because the light was so bright and blinding but also because Will stopped singing and pain instantly shot up my spine and I yelped out in pain.

"You're not going to die. Not if I can't help it." There was a pause while I panted in pain. "And I can...obviously. I'm Apollo. God of the sun, light, healing, music, poetry, archery, reason and prophecy." I tilted my head up, and looked at Apollo. I'd heard about him being dammed by Zeus and his whole adventures as a human. But damn, he was hot. "You're the god of reason?" I laughed meekly, my hands clenched under the blanket that was onto of me. 

"Yes I am and the god of prophecy. And I can see you and I." He grinned as he looked me in the eyes.

Will looked up at his dad, anger and frustration in his blue eyes. "Father. She needs your help." Maybe Will said father so that Apollo remembered how old he really was or maybe he just wanted him to get back on task, but Apollo just winked at me.

He rolled his eyes and threw his quiver onto the wooden floor. Gods, he was hot. He had golden eyes that shone like the sun and his smile was blinding. His blonde hair was scraped back into a messy man-bun and he had a playful grin. Apollo had an outdoorsy look about him. He was wearing ripped jeans that showed off his tanned legs and a well fitting white shirt. He only looked around eighteen or seventeen. He reminded me of Silas, apart from the eyes. Silas' were stormy, scrutinising and light-grey whereas Apollo's were as if they were made from molten gold.

If I'd have had the strength I would've wolf-whistled, but I could barely move. I still managed to whisper to Nico though, "Wow, Apollo's hot." 

Nico smiled a faint, sad smile, looking into the distance before he looked down at our joined hands. "Yeah, he’s the sun god." He looked sad and I wanted to ask him what was wrong but Apollo had already turned to Nico. "You're gonna need to help, death boy."

Nico, blinked away the water that seems to glisten in his dark eyes and scowled at Apollo. But Apollo just rolled his eyes at Nico even as Will warned, "Dad.". I wondered if it was weird for Will, to have his dad appear as only a couple of years older than him. Apollo sighed and seemed to magically dim the light in the cabin. Although it was still bright sun outside, it seemed as if there was a barrier stopping it as it didn't reach the inside of the cabin. 

I remembered what Nico had said about him being able to use his darkness to heal. Apollo sighed and started to chant, as if this wasn't a big deal for him. Will joined in, and Nico shut his eyes and the shadows seemed to warp around him. 

In a matter of minutes, I could feel my legs again. Nico helped me sit up and he lifted me off of the bed. I tried to walk but as soon as I got three steps forward, I fell over. Then Apollo caught me. I instantly felt my cheeks redden as he smiled down at me, perfect eyebrow raised. "Hi." I choked out as he dramatically spun me around so I was standing up, but when my legs started to buckle he held me up, arm around my waist. "Hi." He replied, grinning. 

I heard Wil groan as Apollo steadied me. "Bye." He said quietly. 

"Bye." I said, leaning against the wall, watching Apollo as he picked up his quiver and left. As he opened the door, light flooded into the room. I spun round, squealing to my friends. "Omg." I laughed.

"You cannot go out with my dad." Will said, eyes dead serious. I pouted and put my hands on my waist. 

"He saved my life. I owe him one." I replied. 

"Yeah, like a fruit basket or a funny card, that says ‘You saved my life. Thanks!’. Not a girlfriend." He said as he bit the inside of his cheek. I looked over at Nico who had gone back to being sad. I hoped it hadn’t been anything I’d said.

"Yeah." I said, hands up, defeated "I won't talk to your dad ever again. Promise." 

Will barked a rough laugh when the door smashed open. Apollo strutted in and handed me a piece of paper and spun me around.

"Call me, one day. OK.

That paper has my number.

Lets go grab coffee." he breathed into my ear, loudly before he kissed my head, finger gunned me then walked back out.

I spun back around and put my hands up. "That was not my fault." I defended. Then I said, "Did he just give me his number, by hikau?"

"Yeah. He's kinda obsessed with them." Will rolled his eyes as the door burst open again, "Gods, dad...oh, hi Silas."

I spun around too quickly and fell over my own feet. When...yep, you guessed it...Silas caught me in his arms. "Hi." I choked out as Silas smiled and helped me to my feet.

"Hi." He replied, grinning.

My legs buckled, again and he, (this time Silas, not the sun god) held me up, arm around my waist. He was grinning and it gave me butterflies. 

I heard Will murmur "Deja vu." as Silas cocked his head and looked me up and down.

I cringed and went to straighten out my hair, when I remembered I still had Aphrodite's curse. Sorry, blessing.

"I just came to see how you were. Because you stupidly ran out, alone and stumbled into a chimera. Who then bit you. Which lead to me, having to save you.”

I rolled my eyes and cocked my head at him, looking into his beautiful stormy eyes. Then my breath caught in my throat when Silas asked "What's that piece of paper?" 

That was when I made a decision. I shrugged and threw the paper into the burning fireplace to my right. "Nothing." I shrugged. "Just a meaningless, stupid, arrogant piece of paper.". Silas raised an blonde eyebrow but he still smiled at me, his arm still tightly around my waist.


	13. Terpsichore and Talent Shows - 13

LIA

I was leaning against the pink pillar that was in the middle of the Aphrodite cabin. I still stayed there,my stuff was all still on the pink bed on the right hand side. It all still lay there because I hadn't wanted to move all of my things over to the Poseidon cabin yet. It was Percy's cabin. His space, and I wasn't about to go and invade it, until we’d met.

I laughed as Valentina got stuck in her tight, pink cropped top. She started crying out to me, "Lia!" She yelled, half laughing, half terrified as she tried to wiggle her way out of her lacy top. 

"I'm going to die!" She yelled. "In one of Drew’s cheap, off-brand tops!” I pushed myself off of the pillar, rolling my eyes and pulled the top down over Valentina. I brushed off her shoulders and grinned. "Perfect." I smiled as she hugged me and skipped over to the massive vanity table that all of the Aphrodite kids used. Gods, mornings were a nightmare here. Kids constantly fighting over mascara and hairbrushes, lipsticks got thrown all over the place and clothes got strown all over the floor. But as if by magic, after the siblings had all done their makeup perfectly, all the clothes and makeup suddenly got tidied away as they all worked together.

Valentina beckoned me over and I sat down next to her, letting her brush my black hair. "It's totally unfair." She was moaning but she was also smiling, so I knew she was somewhat joking, "The blessings left you, but you're still unbelievably beautiful."

I elbowed her, laughing "Says you." Valentina was truly beautiful. Her dark skin complemented her blue eyes. She never got spots or pimples and she had an amazing figure. 

She sighed and when she'd finished touching up her mascara she pulled me off the velvet stool and together we ran outside, and started to make our way over to amphitheatre. There was a 'talent show' taking place tonight. Valentina, who was standing in for Aphrodite head counsellor with Piper gone, had said that all the head counsellors just wanted everyone to have a good time. But I knew it was more than that. I knew it had been Annabeth's idea. She'd been gone for a while, and the Camp had at least thirty new campers, including me, that she hadn't met yet and I knew it was just a dressed up way to show the Head Counsellors and Chiron what we were all capable of. If our training had paid off. You didn't have to take part, me and my friends certainly weren't, but most of the demigods were blinded by the shining trophy. They were basically all magpies.

Annabeth had returned the day Apollo had come. I hadn't talked to her yet, and I'd made Silas, Will, Nico, Leo, Calypso, Juniper and Valentina promise not to tell her about my godly parent. For all she knew I was just an Aphrodite kid. Not Posideon daughter, who’s cursed by Zeus. Right now, I wasn’t her boyfriends sister. I'd actually made them promise not to tell anyone. The only person who knew was Chiron, and he only knew because Will had practically dragged me up to the Big House to tell him, as soon as I’d been healed.

Chiron had just smiled and said, of course. He did give us all into a bit of trouble but he admitted it was inevitable that we were going to do it at some point, he was just glad we were all safe. He'd told everyone at camp that Apollo had just come for a surprise visit. It was pretty believable, due to how...spontaneous Apollo was. 

I’d asked Silas why Annabeth had come back from the quest early. She was still meant to be with Percy, Grover, Jason, Frank,Hazel and Piper. Leo and told me all about them. The prophesied half-bloods that saved the world. He hadn’t told me, said it was secret. But from the way he said it, it seemed like he didn’t know himself and was just trying to persuade himself rather than me.

Me and Valentina ran into the amphitheatre and she hugged me tight before she ran off to join the other performers. I looked around and my mouth nearly fell open when I saw a muse sitting with Chiron.

Chiron had manage to get Terpsichore, the muse of epic poetry, choral songs and dance, to turn up. She was sitting on the first bench, the one closest to the stage, holding her magic lyre. Her dark hair was done up in a messy bun, she was wearing a white robe and  golden leaves decorated her body. 

I made my way over to where Leo and Calypso were sitting, jumping over the the stone benches and saying hi to everyone that was already here. I sat down in between, and put my arms around them both, hugging them tight. Calypso rolled her eyes and Leo ruffled my hair. I batted his hand away scowling,  "I just did my hair." 

He finger gunned me, and flicked my cheek. We all started laughing and I nearly didn't notice Terpsichore come over to us. Calypso stopped laughing and nudged me and as I wiped the tears from my eyes I looked up. "Gods! Terpsich...Terpsichore. Uh...hi." I managed to get out. Her blue eyes were staring deep into mine.She didn't say hi back. She didn't say anything back. She just delicately smiled and placed her pale, slender hand on my shoulder. 

Then she slowly walked back to her seat, not looking back at me once. I felt winded. I felt faint. I felt sick. I looked over at Calypso whose brows were furrowed, and her face was confused. I just shook my head and shrugged,nervously whispering "What a crazy lady." before I shouted over to Nico and Will, mostly to avoid conversation about what just happened, to sit with us.

Will saw me and waved back, dragging over Nico who seemed to be very concentrated on the popcorn that Conor was selling. I was going to warn him not to eat that (because you didn’t eat anything Conor Stoll gave you) as he, holding his popcorn, and Will came over to sit with us, but the lights suddenly dimmed and Annabeth appeared up on the stage. 

She looked angry. Like extremely angry. Like, pull a chicken's head off angry. Her grey eyes were murky and stormy, just like Silas' had been that day at Olympus. I sat up and looked around for Silas now, and saw him standing next to Chiron and Terpsichore.

"So, welcome to the talent show. I'm Annabeth Chase, for all the new campers who might not know me.” Psshhh, I thought, everyone knew who Annabeth Chase was, even if they’d never met her. “I'm the head counsellor of the Athena cabin. I arrived back three days ago, around the same time my brother Silas did." Everyones head turned around to Silas and I couldn't help but smile as his face went bright red and he awkwardly looked down at his feet. I bit my lip, he looked cute when he was awkward and embarrassed.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and coughed, "Right, anyway...so first up." She quickly scanned the clipboard she was holding, "Valentina Diaz. Who's going to sing...Cups." Annabeth smiled prettily but I caught how she angrily clenched the clipboard till it looked like it was going to snap.

Valentina was amazing. She brought up a cup from the mess hall (a pink one, to match her outfit, obviously) and started tapping it and moving it on the stage, creating a rhythm that matched perfectly with Terpsichore's lyre. And when Valentina started singing, everyone fell silent. The song blasted out perfectly as she carried on tapping her pink cup. When people first saw Valentina they probably thought she was an airhead. But when she sang, it was clear she was anything but.

Other people went up on the stage, Chiara Benvenuti played her guitar, Julia Feingold and Cecil Markowitz did stand up together and loads of other campers that I didn't know the names of did singing, dancing and some Aphrodite kids even did a mini catwalk. 

When everyone was done Annabeth came back onto the stage and clapped quickly before she tucked the clipboard under her arm and said, "Well, we'll do the voting now...." As Annabeth kept talking I suddenly felt like someone was watching me. And someone was. I turned to my left and saw that Terpsichore was staring at me, eyebrows raised. I sighed, gripped my fists and stood up. 

Everyone turned to me and I suddenly realised how Silas must have felt. I looked over at him now, at his confused face. Then I turned to his sister. Her face was also confused but she also looked angry and her hands were now on her waist. She raised her eyebrow and asked me, "What?" I smiled back at her and copied her, placing my hands on my waist aswell.

"I want a shot."

Annabeth looked conflicted and she started staring into the distance, like what Silas did when he was thinking deeply. She finally turned back towards me and shrugged, sighing "Fine. Great. What’s your name?" She asked.

"Lia Jac...Lia...I don't know. I lost my memories, so I don’t know who my dad is. Just my mum. My mum is 100 percent Aphrodite. That’s my mum. Goddess of love and beauty and all that jazz.”

Annabeth smiled a forced smile and walked off the stage as I stepped over the benches and climbed up onto the stone stage. I faced the whole camp and breathed in, before I looked over at Terpsichore who smiled fully and started nodding her head as she started plucking at her lyre. The song that came out wasn't classical light greek music. It was Imagine Dragons, Believer. 

I breathed in as Terpsichore started singing. I shut my eyes and raised my hand up, tapping my foot in time with the music. I started to move my body. I leapt, twirled, jumped and span. I didn’t know how to describe my dancing. It was a mix of ballet, contemporary, acro and hip hop. I leap into a row of backflips and landed on my tiptoes and started a pirouette. Then I leapt down on to the floor, crab into handstand into splits before I got onto my feet again. As Terpsichore let the words soar out of her, I leapt, higher than I ever had. 

See, when Terpsichore had touched me, she’d given me some memories back. I loved dancing. It made me feel strong. As I twirled and moved my arms, my eyes following, ignoring everyone else I let everything go. Just like when Terpsichore and Valentina sang, when Chiara strummed her guitar, I danced and poured my soul into it. I couldn’t believe how I’d forgotten about my dancing. How Zeus had made me forget my dancing.

As I danced I channeled my power into it. I forced it into time with the music. As imagine dragons roared out of the lyre, I slowly opened my eyes, still dancing. I pointed my foot out and leapt again, twirling in the air and when I reached the floor, I bowed quickly before I spun and started sprinting. I needed momentum. I quickly spun into a backflip. I could hear the cheering of the camp. I almost laughed, they hadn’t seen anything yet.

As I danced and danced I channeled my powers. When I moved my arms through the crisp air, splashes of water followed me. Sparks jumped from my toes as I kicked and rocked. Sparks flew around, following my moves as water twisted in and out of my legs. The jeans and camp top I was wearing changed into a white dress, much like as Terpsichore’s, thanks to my Aphrodite gifts.

So this is what I’d done, stuck under the water all those years. I’d danced. I remembered my studio in dad’s palace. It had a massive mirror and a ballet bar outlined the wall. As I did my final leap, the white sparks and blue water droplets disappeared as I jumped down onto the stage for a final time as the music stopped.

I was panting and sweating when I finished. No one clapped, no one said anything. They all just stared at me, mouth slacked open.

Then Silas stood up and started clapping. His beautiful smile, grinning and his grey eyes shinning. Leo jumped up and starting whoooing, as did the rest of my friends. One by one everyone in the amphitheater started clapping. For me. I’d never felt so alive.

I looked over at Terpsichore and smiled as I nodded my head in thanks. Then I felt a hand grip my shoulder hard.

”You summoned water.” Annabeth said, eyes fixed on mine “How...” Then she clasped her hand over her mouth, as if she was only just seeing what I looked like, “You look exactly like him.” She said as tears lined her stormy eyes. “Who.Are.You?” She asked, eyes turned to slits as I awkwardly smiled. 

“It’s a long story.” 


	14. Connor and Crashing - 14

LIA

Annabeth walked with her head straight the whole way up to the big house. I walked calmly next to Silas, who was constantly biting his lip. I rolled my eyes as I strolled up the dirt path with Annabeth, Silas and Chiron. I knew that everyone else was following us up from the Ampitheartre. I could hear their whispering and thundering footsteps, but every time I turned around they all hid in the nearby trees or behind buildings. I sighed and continued following Annabeth up to the big house.

Annabeth stayed silent until we reached the Rec room. I stayed standing quietly next to Silas and Chiron as Annabeth paced the room, muttering to herself as her hands flayed around. "Ok." she nodded. "Ok." She shrugged. Her blonde hair had tumbled out of her ponytail and she'd lost her serious and calm composure. "Who.Are.You?" She asked, calmly.

She stopped pacing and finally stood still, hands in fists and staring me right in the eye. I awkwardly smiled, and ran my hand through my hair. "Lia." I answered, shoving my hands into my jean pockets.

Annabeth looked like she'd been winded. "Surname?" She asked, wincing.

"Jackson." I breathed in, "Lia Jackson." I felt stupid, like I was making a James Bond reference. 

She cringed and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm Percy Jackson's sister. Younger by a year." I said, quietly and slowly.

I felt Silas and Chiron stiffen as I held my breath. "Percy only has one sister. Estelle Blofis." Her stormy eyes turned to slits. "Percy. Doesn't. Have. Any. Whole. Sister." She said through gritted teeth.

I bit my lip and decided to tell Annabeth my story. I hadn't wanted to tell anyone until Percy got back to camp. Especially not his girlfriend. His incredibly scary girlfriend. 

So I told Annabeth everything. As I told her about me turning up here, my loss of my memory, our visit to Olympus, my dad and finally the talent show, Annabeth sat down on one of the chairs at the ping pong table. When I finished she stayed sitting and all four of us awkwardly stood there, looking at each other. Silas was looking at me from the threshold and I was looking back at him, staring up at his grey eyes that were painted with worry and distress.

I tore away from his gaze, blushing, and saw Annabeth looking at Chiron. Her eyes, that were so much like Silas', seemed to be pleading at Chiron. She probably knew that Chiron couldn't do anything but I guess she just looked to him for advice and to show her the way. 

Annabeth breathed in before she nodded. "Ok." She said quietly, "Ok." She said, this time louder. She looked me in the eye as she smiled faintly. "I believe you, Lia." She looked down as she fiddled with her jumper. She was bitting her lip and as she did, I looked over at Silas, who did the same thing when he was nervous. I grinned as he looked up at me bewildered. But when Annabeth stood up sighing and made her way over to the shut door, I stopped smiling and frowned in confusion. 

Silas opened his mouth as if he was going to start talking but Annabeth glared at him with widened eyes and slightly shook her head before she smirked and turned the door knob, quickly pulling the door open. I barked out a laugh as Leo, Will and Connor all fell onto the floor. Annabeth raised her eyebrows at the three of them and placed her hands on her hips as she cocked her head. "Eavesdropping?" I grinned down at them as they sheepishly smiled at me and Annabeth. 

Silas came and stood next to me and frowned at them. Leo winked up at him as he clambered up but Silas just rolled his eyes. When all three of them where standing up, Chiron asked them what they were doing. Well, he tried to, but Connor interrupted him. His blue eyes were going crazy as he stared at me. "You're Percy's sister?" He exclaimed. 

I swallowed, and I started to get nervous. I hadn't wanted the whole camp to know yet. I definitely didn't want Connor, the blabbermouth of camp to know. "Well..." I started. 

"Oh gods, you are!" Connor laughed. He looked from Will to Leo. "Gods, you guys knew." He hooted. 

"Connor." Silas warned, but I don't think he heard him. Why do I think that? Because as Silas started talking, Connor was already halfway out the big house. I swore colourfully then I smiled apologetically at Chiron as he raised an eyebrow at me before I ran out of the room after Connor.

"Connor!" I yelled. "CONNOR." But Connor was so far ahead I didn't know if he could even hear me. 

Silas was running next to me, and I didn't even know where the Chiron, Annabeth, Leo and Will were. He sighed as we ran faster, "I didn't know that boy could run this fast."

I smiled but it quickly faded into a cringe. I looked over at Silas as we kept running through camp. His wavy blonde hair looked almost white in the light. It was surprising that Silas and Annabeth looked so alike, since they didn't have the same father. But they were almost identical. The only difference was that Silas looked harsher and he almost always looked stern whereas most os the time that I saw Annabeth she did look calm and poised, much like Silas, she also always at the back of her face looked sad.

I looked at him as we ran past the volleyball court and the forge. He looked so handsome as he ran next to me, his grey eyes calm. He looked at me as I started talking.

"No one can know yet Silas. I just... I don't want to cause drama before Percy even turns up. Everything's so confusing and he doesn't even know yet so...its just...its just so complicated..." I got cut off because as I was running I crashed into another camper. I collided into them and we both fell onto the hard ground. I shut my eyes, embarrassment taking over me. 

I heard laughing from surrounding campers as I cringed and opened my eyes. I tried to smile down at the poor camper that I fell into.

I looked down at the person I was lying on top of and cocked my head. It was a girl I'd never seen before at camp. She looked native american and she had choppy, chocolate-brown hair that was braided. But her eyes...her eyes were like a rainbow, they were brown and green and blue. She looked a bit older than me, around Annabeth's age. She was amazingly beautiful.

I smiled at her as I pushed myself up and brushed myself down, wincing as I saw the shirt that I was wearing (Piper's shirt that I was still borrowing) had streaks of mud down it now, but right now, I had bigger things to worry about. Like stopping Connor.

I nodded curtly to the girl I'd ran into, who was now standing next to another girl, who looked younger than me. The younger girl had beautiful, curly brown hair and golden eyes. They both seemed...I don't know how to explain it. It was as if they were both, more godlike than mortal like the rest of the campers. And even though I'd just ploughed into one of them they were both smiling at me.

"Hi." I greeted them, quickly nodding to Silas, trying to signal that we should leave. Silas nodded back to me and we were both about to leave when the girl I ploughed into tapped me on the shoulder. "Hi" She smiled. "Are you new?" She asked. 

I sighed, frustrated about Connor and everything but I quickly prayed that he wouldn't do anything stupid and smiled at the girl. "Yeah." I said, "Lia.". I smiled as I shook her elegant hand. 

"Piper." She smiled, "And this is Hazel."


	15. Shirts and Spinning - 15

LIA

My hand dropped to my side as my mouth fell open. "I have a shirt like that." She laughed, pulling at the fabric of her shirt. I smiled awkwardly, looking at Silas who was trying not to laugh. "Well." I cringed, "It...it kinda is your shirt."

I told her and Hazel the abridged version of my story, leaving out the Poseidon and Zeus part, explaining why I was wearing her shirt. 

When I'd finished Piper smiled at me before she looked from me to Silas to Hazel. "Hi Silas." She waved and he waved back, grinning. "Me and Hazel are going to the climbing wall to see Jason. Wanna join?" 

I looked at Silas, a concerned look on my face. I tried to convey the message that we need to go find Connor with my eyes but Silas just smiled at Piper and said that we'd love to.

As we walked together to the climbing wall Silas kept grinning at me. I scowled and rolled my eyes, sighing as we walked. I mainly ignored Piper and Hazel, too worried about stupid Connor and his stupid big stupid mouth to listen but when Hazel said my name, I turned to them confused and said pardon. 

Piper giggled, and she looked over at Silas again whose face had gone bright red. I shrugged confused before Piper repeated herself. "I said, so are you and Silas a thing?" 

I felt myself go bright red and I looked at Silas as we kept walking. I felt a lump rise in my throat as I shook my head. "No." I shrugged, "Nothing's going on. Right Silas?" I asked looking over at him. 

"Yeah, sure." Silas smiled meekly but I caught the hurt that flashed across his eyes. "Nothing."

Piper looked like she wanted to say something but a big muscular guy ran up to us and wrapped Hazel in a massive bear hug. He looked like a warrior but the way he smiled made him seem more like a teddy bear rather that a soldier. "Frank." He said to me as he let Hazel go, his arm still around her tiny frame. He was a giant compared to Hazel. He was around 6'3 whereas she was about 5 foot.

"Lia." I smiled, a bit distracted by the fiery escapade that was happening behind him.

Two rather tall guys were holding onto hand-holds at the top of the wall, gripping swords as they fended off other campers that were trying to climb to the top.

I pushed forward through the crowd, leaving Piper, Hazel and Frank behind. When I got to the front, Silas came up beside me to watch with me.

The two guys were wearing helmets but you could tell that the one on the right side was blonde but I couldn't see any of the guy on the left's appearance. 

"How are we looking?" The blonde one shouted over to the other guy as he swung his golden sword at the campers climbing up.

"Sexy." The other guy called over, "But not like we're trying too hard."

They both stopped talking as they fought off two campers each, both of them winning. When they were standing alone again, after they'd fought the campers off the guy on the left started talking again, "Like, sure, we're trying. But its almost effortless."

The blonde guy winked as the last camper climbed up. But the camper didn't stay up there long because the two guys had already beaten her down. The blonde guy threw his helmet off, waving down at the crowd. He was really handsome. He had amazing chiseled features and striking blonde hair. He looked amazing as he grinned at the crowd. 

It seemed like the whole camp had turned up to watch this. The blonde guy just let go of the climbing wall, which is insane since its so high up, and I expected him to like...die or at least break an arm or something but he just sort of drifted down. Like a feather.

The other guy snorted and climbed down quickly, elbowing the blonde guy. I saw Piper make her way through the crowd but she wasn't pushing her way through, she looked like she was just muttering to the people around her who merely parted to make way. Charmspeak, I thought.

When she'd made her way through she ran over to the handsome blonde guy and leapt into his arms. He laughed and spun her around.

Of course handsome blonde guy and beautiful Piper went out. I smiled as I watched them embrace.

The blonde guy kept spinning Piper around, it was like a scene from a movie and everyone was squealing and awwing. But as Annabeth sprinted past them, they both spun around quickly and he nearly dropped Piper on her face.

"Woah, Annabeth." He whistled, "Its only been a couple of days. Cool your jets." Annabeth ignored him as she ran up to the other guy. Everyone oohed and even I was expecting some friendly reunion between because I guessed that the guy was one of Annabeth's friends that shed been on the quest with. I still didn't know why Annabeth had left quest early, I hadn't had a chance to ask Silas yet. 

Annabeth had reached the guy and as they both stood there I was expecting a hug, or a high five. Or at least a handshake. 

I was not expecting her to deck him. The guy laughed, "Is this a thing now?" He asked, "You decking me?"

She scowled down at the guy. Although she was frowning and she looked extremely angry, I could tell how happy she was. I could practically hear her heartbeat from where I was standing. "Shut up Percy."

As she started to smile, I started to freeze.


	16. Siblings and Sea-green Eyes - 16

LIA

There he was. My older brother. Percy Jackson.

The stuff of legends.

I thought he'd be...a bit more heroish. And more...stoic and heroic. I thought he'd be at least pretty tall. 

He just looked like a normal teenage guy at a normal summer camp with his normal friends.

A kind of lean looking guy. 

He probably wasn't even my brother, I tried to persuade myself as I looked at him laugh with all the campers. I tore my glance away from Percy to look up at Silas. He was looking at Annabeth and Percy( who were still lying on the ground, Percy pinned under Annabeth)with a sad sort of look on his face. He looked like he was faraway and his grey eyes seemed sort of wistful. 

When he noticed me looking at him he looked back down at me, and smiled gingerly. "Are you going to talk to him?" He asked quietly, aware of the campers were standing around us.

I didn't know. I had been counting on the hope that when I saw Percy everything would just click and I'd know what to do. This was the first time I'd actually felt scared at camp. I felt more terrified now than I had at Olympus, in front of Zeus. I felt petrified. I couldn't move.

I glanced at Silas again, he made me feel safe. His wavy blonde hair was twirling furiously in the wind. The wind was getting tougher and faster and it didn't seem to be stopping. I quickly looked behind me and the sea looked stormy swell. What was going on?

Silas seemed to notice the strange weather too, because as he watched the massive fir trees sway in the distance, he had his thinking face plastered on. He watched the waves crash and the wind whip everyones hair around. But none else seemed too care or notice and if they did they didn't say anything. They were all too busy watching Percy.

I looked back at Percy who was now standing up with Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel and Annabeth. Percy was fiddling with his camp beads as he stared at Annabeth. He didn't look like he was really listening to what Jason was saying. I couldn't hear them but with the happy faces that his friends had on, I guess it was a good conversation that they were having.

I, along with the rest of the camp, watched them all quietly mutter before Jason suddenly turned around and looked straight at me and Silas. My heart started pounding against my chest and instinctively I grabbed Silas' hand. I just needed to know someone was there at that moment. And it just so happened Silas was next to me. It didn't mean anything.

Still clutching Silas' hand, I stood still as Jason and the rest started walking forwards towards us. It wasn't until they were a couple inches in front of us that Jason shouted, "Nico! Will!"

It was only when I felt a hand on my shoulder that I jolted up. I slowly turned around and saw Nico and Will standing behind me. Nico smiled down at me and I let myself blow out a slow breath.

"Hi." Will said while Nico nodded. Jason man-hugged Will and then he ruffled Nico's black hair. Ruffled his hair. If anyone else had done that to Nico he would've killed them. But Nico just barked a laugh and lightly shoved Jason away. Percy came over and hugged Nico as well. Nico was smaller than both Jason and Percy but when Hazel ran up and leapt into his arms he looked like a lean lanky giant.

"Nico." She muttered as she hugged Nico tighter. 

Ohhh. This was the Hazel that was Nico's half sister. When they pulled apart, he smiled down at her and she playfully punched him.

"You cut your hair." She said. 

I expected Nico to make a dry, sarcastic comment like he would with most people but with Hazel he just nodded his head and shrugged. "And the ghost king got taller." Percy laughed as he came up beside Nico and me. I started to bunch up my shirt and bite my lip. 

I got even more nervous and scared when Percy shoved his copper helmet off and casually held it as his side. He was basically me. He was taller and more muscular and he was....obviously a boy. But we had the same jet black hair and he had our bright, sea-green eyes. He looked like a younger version of dad. He looked like me. I felt tears start to swell in my eyes. I just wished that I could've grown up with him. I wished we had gotten the chance to be siblings. I understand what happened, needed to be done. That dad and mum did it to protect me from Zeus, but it didn't meant I thought it was fair.

I noticed Nico look discretely at Percy then me. I begged with my eyes...the same eyes as Percy's, for him not to mention me and I smiled when he curtly nodded. Thank god I had a friend like Nico. He and I seemed to connect and understand each other. Unfortunately, Will did not get the hint

"Guys, this is Lia." He said. I glared at him and he sheepishly smiled back, awkwardly placing his hands in his pockets. He smiled back at me and I tried to convey the message to him to shut up. But Will just shrugged.

I looked over at Nico and glared at him.

Get your boyfriend to shut the hell up before I send him down to Tartarus. I said with my eyes.

He's not ready to meet my dad yet. His dark almond eyes laughed, but he still lightly elbowed Will. Will finally seemed to get it and just smiled at Percy and Jason. Piper moved forward and smiled, "Yeah, Lia's cool. I met her today. She's lost all her memories." She said, looking at Percy and Jason. 

Percy and Jason gave each other a look before Jason said, "Yeah. We've dealt with that before." Percy laughed and rolled his eyes before he offered his hand to me. 

I shook his hand, smiling awkwardly. He looked like he wanted to say something but Piper said something first. "So. Lia, Silas? Nothings happening?" She smiled mischievously. I was confused but I followed her line of sight to me and Silas' hands joined still together. "Uhhh." I stuttered, unable to get anything out.

"My bro's got a girlfriend!" Percy laughed as Jason shouted "go Silas!"

I shook my head as Silas tried to tell them we were just friends. When I saw Annabeth look at me weirdly I quickly let go of Silas' hand, ignoring the way he looked down at me. "We're just acquaintances." Silas said. 

I raised my eyebrow at him. "No. We're friends." I said, sternly. 

"You're very...hard." Silas said, shrugging. My mouth fell open. I thought me and Silas were friends. We'd been spending a lot of time together recently and I thought we were getting to know each other. I thought we were getting close. Obviously, he didn't think so. I opened my mouth to start arguing with him but when I remembered that we weren't alone, I clamped my mouth shut and smiled sarcastically at Silas. 

Annabeth came up beside Silas and looked up at Percy. "We should go see Chiron. All of us." She signalled. Jason, Frank, Piper and Hazel all started to follow Annabeth. "See you later Silas." They nodded and they all waved to me. Apart from Percy. He kind of looked at me weirdly then smiled faintly. "Bye." He nodded, looking me straight in the eye. 

"Lia." I said quickly, trying not to look at him in the eye.

"Yeah. But...uh...Lia, daughter of..." He asked.

I felt sick. Do I tell him now? Do I wait?

"I've got to go." I said quickly. And then I ran. Yes, I know its cowardly but...but maybe I am a coward. It certainly felt like that as I ran away to towards the sea.


	17. Wind and Waves - 17

LIA

I ignored Silas' voice calling me back as I ran faster towards the sea. The wind was getting quicker and it was whipping my long hair around my face. When I got to the sandy beach I collapsed down onto my knees. The waves were crashing onto the beach as if they were in a bad mood. The sun had disappeared behind black clouds and the wind was howling. 

As the waves grew higher, I slowly stood up. I untied my trainers and tossed them to the side. I felt the sand between my toes as I walked closer and closer to the water. When the water touched my toes I felt more calm. I shut my eyes and breathed slowly. The water seemed to run through me as I breathed in and out. I moved my foot around in the damp sand as the water moved in then out. 

I flinched and opened my eyes as lightning crackled brightly in the distance. It shinned bright as the water started to get harsher. 

Then it dawned on me. I was causing this. I was the storm. I was connected to both the sea and the sky. I started to panic even more which made the storm even worse. As my pulse got faster, the waves crashed harder. 

What was wrong with me? 

I tried to calm myself down but the storm just got faster and harder.

The water circled my bare feet as I watched the horizon. As I kept my sight on the horizon and kept my breathing steady, the wind seemed to steady and the waves seemed to calm. That was until I heard a sound behind me. 

I spun around, nearly falling over, too see Percy standing in front of me. A bob rose in my throat as he just stood there looking at me. My heart pounded quicker as he tore his glance from me to the sea behind me. I gulped as he walked towards me and stood beside me. He plopped down and started fiddling with the grey pebbles that lined the beach. 

I stood there for a couple of seconds, debating whether to sit or not. I went with the former and sat down next to him, knees in a basket. Percy didn't look at me, just kept his eyes to the sea. "My dad must be in a mood." He dryly laughed as he skimmed the stone into the water. 

He finally looked at me and raised his eyebrow. "Or maybe its some thing else."

I couldn't tell if he was asking or more telling but I said 'Or maybe its someone else.' anyway. I didn't look at him as I picked up a stone and threw it into the water. I didn't skim it, instead I pushed the waves up and made them carry the stone away until we couldn't see it anymore. 

Deep down I hoped he wouldn't ask. I prayed that he'd just leave. Because last night I'd received an iris message. From my dad. Our dad. And he'd told me something that I still hadn't processed. 

"Who's your mom then?" He said quietly, looking at me from under his eyelashes. 

I looked at him. At his bright green eyes, that were the colours of fresh kelp on the shore. At my eyes. "You have the same colour of eyes as me." I said, still watching him watch me. His smile was wary and tired.

"You have the same everything as me." He said quietly.

I twiddled the hair bobble that was around my wrist but stopped when I noticed that he was turning his camp beads around in his fingers. "So why did you ask who my mom is?" I asked softly, as I tore my eyes away from him and back to the water. 

"Because if its who I think it is then my whole life has been a lie." He replied. We were both talking so quietly we were basically whispering. "Not your whole life." I said, pushing my hands deep into the sand. "Just some of it."

"Does she know you're...you're here." He asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the tears that were gathering in my eyes away. "No." I whispered into the wind, that had turned into a slow breeze, my eyelids fluttering closed as I breathed in the briny aroma. "She...Dad." I gulped. "Dad, he told me..." I shook my head forcefully. "She thinks I'm dead." I stole a look at him and saw that he was completely still, looking out to the skyline. 

"She thinks Zeus killed me." I scrunched my toes and I could feel the softness of the sand, still damp from the retreating tide. "Which in fairness, he did try to do. A couple of times."

"Piper said you lost your memory." He said. Our voices seemed like the only sounds on the beach in that moment. "Are you lying to the whole camp?" He asked into the silence. "Who else knows?" 

"Nico, Will, Leo, Calypso and Juniper." I said, picking up a white seashell. "And Chiron...and Annabeth."

Now he looked at me, his bright eyes now seemed faded and painted in hurt. "Annabeth knows." 

I wiped the sand off of the shell as I talked, "She only found out today." He looked away again, back out to sea. "And I'm not lying to the camp. I woke up here, on this beach, without my memories and Leo found me and brought me to camp."

I told Percy everything I'd, about an hour ago, told Annabeth. About Mount Olympus, Aphrodite, capture the flag, Zeus' curse. Dad taking me to his palace for safety. About how I still couldn't remember everything, I could only remember my family, dad's palace and my love of dance. About how some of the important people in Olympus could give me my memories back. About dad iris-messaging me last night and telling me that mom thinks that I was dead. 

We stayed silent for a couple of minutes, listening to the breeze and the soft ripple of the waves. Until Percy said something. 

"Why can't I remember you?" He said, looking over at me.

"Because you were like... one, and I was only a couple months old." I replied, watching the blue waves through my narrowed eyes. "I remember asking dad about you." I admitted. "I remember wanting you to be my big brother so badly." I wiped my eyes as I sniffled. 

I looked at him bite his lip and move closer to me. "I...I can still be your big brother." He said quietly. "And you...you can be a big sister too."

I looked up at him through my teary eyes and he smiled down at me. "Really?" I asked.

"Do you want me to be?" He asked quietly softly.

I couldn't believe that he wanted to try. That he wanted to be my family. Thats what I'd always wanted. I'd just wanted someone I could rely on and would always be there. Dad didn't really count. Since he was an almighty god and all.

I nodded quietly and he put his arm around me and pulled me close. I smiled as I nestled into my brother and watched the waves dance. The water started to jump up and they slowly turned into water dancers. "You said you like dancing?" Percy asked. I nodded and before I knew it he jumped up and practically lifted me up. He bowed and as I laughed he started to twirl me around.

I smiled into Percy's shoulder as I danced with my brother on the beach of my new home. 


	18. Tartarus and Torture - 18

LIA

I lay in my new bed of my new cabin silently as I smiled. I just couldn't stop smiling. I was practically glowing with happiness. Or maybe it was the walls of the cabin that were glowing. The Poseidon cabin was beautiful. Way more beautiful than the Aphrodite cabin. 

It was low, long and solid and all the grey panelled windows pointed out towards the sea - which had now thankfully calmed down and the waves were now slowly pushing into the beach and back out. There was four other empty beds, six beds in total - two of which were being occupied by me and Percy.  

I glanced over at him to my right. His chest was rising and falling slowly and he was snoring pretty loudly, but I didn't mind. It was actually pretty nice to have someone related to me sleeping in the same room as me. I looked back up at the ceiling and kept smiling.

The bronze hippocampi that were on the ceiling seemed to be swimming. I looked over at Harpe who was lying, half in the scabbard half out, on the grey chair next to my bed. Even the furniture in the cabin was beautiful. The beds were made of dark-grey stone and had pale shells embedded in them. And, although the beds were made of stone the mattresses were unbelievably comfortable.

The bronze sword was glowing along with the abalone wall, the carvings dancing in the luminous light. I jumped out off my bed and picked up Harpe as I made my way over to the grey fountain. I sat down against it and kept smiling. I held Harpe in one hand while I dangled the other in the water. The crystal clear water reflected my reflection as I peered down. My black hair was disheveled and my eyes had sleep in the creases. But I was smiling so brightly. I moved my hand slowly around in the water while I looked out of the windows and out to the sea. I smiled at the waves as my brother slept behind me, perfectly content with my new life.

That was until Percy's breathing started getting heavier and deeper. I turned around, letting Harpe softly fall out of my hands as I stood up and crept closer to his bed. When I looked down at him, I started to get worried. Percy was sweating furiously and he started to shake. I think my breathing stopped as he started to mutter deeply in his sleep. "I tried to save you Annabeth. I tried..." He muttered, tossing slightly.

"Annabeth. Annabeth please." He breathed heavily, shaking furiously. "Don't. I didn't mean to scare you. Please, Annabeth. I don't know how I..." He kept muttering and my brows furrowed in fear and confusion as his knuckles went white as he started to scream a horrible and wild scream.

PERCY

My dream started like it always did. I was swimming under the water, in-between the beautiful coral, with Annabeth. I laughed with her as her beautiful, blonde hair swam around her, drifting through the water as I swam towards her. She giggled as I swam closer, but I couldn't seem to reach her. I tried so hard to swim over to her, but the water started to push me down deeper. Annabeth's face went from laughing to terror and she started screaming for me. My breathing sped up as Annabeth twisted wildly around in the water as tears started to fall down her face before they mixed in with the salt water. "Percy?" Annabeth called out. "Where are you Percy? Why have you left me?" She cried out, her voice cracking in emotion. 

I swam faster and faster trying to reach Annabeth as she started to clutch her throat, gasping for air. I reached my arm out trying to grasp her hand. Wanting to have her safely in my arms. She clamped her mouth shut as she began to drown, flailing around, desperate for air. I managed to start swimming again and I was so close to grabbing her hand as I dove down, trying to reach her. "Annabeth!" I screamed but she didn't seem to hear me as she was pulled deeper and deeper. 

As we both went deeper down into the deep sea, me diving and her drowning, the dark water around us started to morph into a massive pit. It was dark and eerie and the only thing I could make out was Annabeth's terrified face. Her spine arched as she fell faster, her arms reaching up as if she was trying to grasp something. As she screamed my name again, my throat bobbed and my breathing sped up.

"PERCY!" Annabeth wailed as she flailed through the foggy mist. It was when I noticed the red, running river below us, I realised where we were. Tartarus. Again. How? How were we here?

"Annabeth." I screamed but she still couldn't hear me. My panic started to rise as Annabeth screamed in terror. "ANNABETH!" I yelled loudly.

As we plunged deeper and deeper and closer and closer to the running river I kept screaming Annabeth's name over and over again. Her grey eyes were filled with fear and it made my heart crack. It was the worst thing in the world to see Annabeth terrified and unable to help her. Especially when she was just out of my reach.

As we fell deeper the scenery once again changed. Instead of being under the sea or falling into Tartarus  I was now standing in complete and utter darkness. I looked around and saw Annabeth to my right. I breathed out a slow sigh of relief as I ran over to her. I finally caught up with her and pulled her into me. But she didn't return the hug and pushed me away, tears glistening in her stoney eyes.

"Why did you do that Percy?" She cried out through her tears. "Percy you scared me." 

"Annabeth." I breathed, taking a step towards her but she took three back, holding her hands out as if I was about to attack her.

"Don't." She whispered. "Don't come near me. Don't you dare."

"What did I do?" I asked, confused as to what was wrong. As to what I had done to upset her. "I tried to save you Annabeth. I tried-"

"You tried?" She sneered. "You tried to save me by poisoning Akhlys. You tortured her Percy. And I saw it in your eyes. You wanted to hurt her so badly. You wanted to kill her slowly Percy. I saw your eyes go dark. You scared me. You scare me so much now Percy."

I stumbled backwards, her words slicing straight through me. "Annabeth. Annabeth please. Don't. I didn't mean to scare you. Please, Annabeth." I went to make my way towards her when an evil laugh, that had haunted me for months, sounded behind me. 

I saw her sunken, pale face and her red clawed face and a growl ripped out of my mouth. Akhlys.

I felt the sudden overwhelming feeling that I'd dreaded ever feeling ever again. I'd prayed that I would never feel this way again.

I want to destroy her. I want her to die slowly. I want to torture her.

I drew on my power and watched her face go contorted and I grinned as she winced. "Percy please!" I heard Annabeth's voice and I blinked confused, because where Misery stood, my girlfriend was now trembling, terrified. "Please, Percy. Stop!" She kept calling out. 

I tried to. I tried so hard to stop but for some reason I couldn't. I kept poisoning Annabeth and I wanted to stop so badly but I couldn't. She turned into her death form she'd been in previously and collapsed to her knees, screaming out in pain as she also sobbed uncontrollably.

"Annabeth." I cried out, my voice breaking. But as I went to touch her, to make her feel safe, to hold her, my hands went straight through her. "ANNABETH." I screamed as she turned to dust in front of my eyes. 

"Percy!" A voice called out. I looked around wildly, unable to see who was calling my name. "Percy. Percy! PERCY!"

 

I jolted up, breathing heavily and sweating madly, to see Lia looking down at me with emotion plastered across her face. I sat up, groaning and rubbed my eyes. "Percy." Lia cried out, tears lining her green eyes, as she wrapped her arms around my neck. 

"Oh my god Percy. You were screaming and I didn't know what to do..." I tightened my grip around her waist and leaned into my sister's warmth. She pulled back with concern painted in her eyes. "Are you ok?" She asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah." I nodded, looking down at my clasped hands, ashamed. A little sister shouldn't have to comfort her big brother. "I just... I dreamed that I was back in Tartarus. Its fine. It happens..."

I looked up at Lia's face, as my throat tightened. She had a nasty, red scratch near her eye and a bruise was plastered on her jaw. Under the scratch was a drop of dried blood. "What?" I asked her, concern in my voice. "What happened? How did you get those scratches and bruises?"

When Lia bit her lip and looked away from me, my guilt began to rise up in my stomach. "Gods. It was me. Wasn't it?" She looked back down at me as she started to shake her head. "No. Percy. I..." She started as she sat down next to me and held my hands in her.

"Gods. It was me. I did this to you. I hurt you. I attacked you." I looked down at our entwined hands and I felt the anger and darkness rise in my throat. I'd hurt her. I'd drawn blood on my little sister.


	19. Celaena and Cherry Cola - 19

LIA

I was sitting with Percy at the Poseidon table in the mess hall when Leo and Nico walked in, Calypso, Wil and Piper behind them, hysterical laughing. I quickly glanced at Percy, who smiled, before I got up and went over to our friends. "Are you ok?" Nico whispered to me as he squeezed my hand. I looked up at him and smiled back, before replying. "Yeah. I'm fine. More than fine actually." Nico beamed down at me, his dark eyes shining. 

I felt Percy come up behind me. "Hi guys." He greeted his friends.

"Hi Percy." Leo laughed, finger gunning at Percy. Percy raised an eyebrow at him before Leo laughed. "It's my new thing." He said as he blew on his fingers as if blowing off pistols. "Finger. Guns."

Percy laughed before he turned to Nico. "Good to see you again Nico." He smiled.

"You too Percy." Nico said as they bro-hugged. 

"You're only a bit smaller than me now." Percy grinned as he ruffled Nico's dark, shaggy hair. 

"Don't do that ever again." Nico said, as he swatted Percy's hand away, in a tone that was half joking, half deadly serious.

Percy held his hands up in mock surrender as he smirked. "Hi Percy." Will called from behind. Percy nodded and smiled back over at him before his bright green eyes fell on Calypso. "Hi." He said quietly as Calypso looked down and fidgeted with her hands. I looked over at Leo who had a hint of annoyance on his hazel eyes, before I raised my eyebrow at Nico.

Later, he seemed to say with his dark eyes. I rolled my own eyes before I looked back at Calypso, Percy and Leo, who were all awkwardly trying to avoid each others glances. 

I wondered what was happening. Leo and Calypso were going out, but then why did it...look like something was going on with Percy and her. But Percy and Annabeth were boyfriend and girlfriend.

It really made me realise how much of an outsider I really was. Even when it had just been me, Nico, Wil, Calypso and Leo, I'd still felt like a bit of an intruder but now that everyone was here I felt completely alone. All of these people had history together. Complicated history and incredible memories. They had a bond that I didn't think I would ever really have with any of them. They were a family. And I wasn't a part of it. 

"Me and Lia were just finishing breakfast." Percy said. "What's everyone else doing?' He asked as he put his hands in his pockets. "Me and Will could join." Nico said as Wil walked past Calypso and Piper and came up next to him. Will grinned as he took Nico's hand. "I'm starving." 

Nico rolled his eyes and lightly pushed his boyfriend before they both stared to follow me and Percy back to the table. "Wait up!" Piper shouted as she ran after us. 

I glanced back to see Leo and Calypso talking in hushed tones behind us. "Leo, Cal. You guys coming?" I asked.

"Me and Leo are gonna go on a walk." Calypso said before she faintly smiled at me then grabbed Leo's hand, leading him away. I watched them walk away for a couple of seconds before I joined my friends at the Poseidon table. 

"You know, we still can't technically sit with you Percy" Piper said as she started drinking from a goblet. 

"Yeah, but we practically run this place." Percy said as he grabbed Piper's drink and took a sip. She protested as Percy's face became a cast of disgust. " Cherry cola Piper. Really? Eww." 

"Shut up." Piper said, but the way she said it sounded more like, you're the best Percy.

Everyone, par Nico, started laughing as Piper laughed and spilled her drink. But Nico stopped everyone's laughter instantly when he spoke.

"Not for long." He said as he looked at Percy and Piper. 

"What do you mean?" I asked Nico as he looked down at his food. The only thing on his plate was a red pomegranate. I wondered where he'd gotten it from, as he'd just got here. Maybe he carried around pomegranates all the time.

"This is your guys' last year at camp. Its also Annabeth's and Jason's." Nico looked at Percy and Piper who were both looking down at their own meals, sadness streaked across their faces. "I guess it is." Piper said, biting her lip.

"Its gone past so quickly." Percy said. "I don't even think I got to take any of it in. We were always doing things." He said quietly as he looked around our table, taking each of his friends in turn. "We were always off fighting. Kronos then Gaea. We were hardly at camp...just to enjoy it."

Although the whole camp was talking, every camper chatting to their friends and siblings, everything seemed silent. Everyone at our table fell quiet and we all just sat there for a couple of minutes, it only just sinking in that, in their case: half of their friends were leaving, and in my case: my newfound brother was going to leave as unexpectedly as he'd arrived. 

"Then let's make it your best year yet." I said as I stood up and slammed my hands against the table. "No fighting titans or evil monsters." I looked at all of them in turn, "Just a happy year of friends, family and fun." 

They were all silent for a while before Percy started clapping. Piper smiled, her multicoloured eyes shinning as she joined in. Nico and Wil started clapping too, and I felt myself go red as I quickly sat back down. "Preach girl." Piper said as she sipped her drink.

"I can't believe you're drinking that." Percy said as he looked down at her. She rolled her eyes but she suddenly dropped her drink again as she stood up. "Pipes what is..." Percy trailed off as fear struck into his eyes. 

I turned around and saw Annabeth, Silas and Jason walk into the dining pavilion and wave at us. "Jason." Piper called, "Come sit with us." 

I smiled at Silas as he sat next to me but I was still worried about Percy, worried at what the fear that had been un his eyes had meant when he'd seen Annabeth. I looked back over at him and sure enough as he wrapped his arms around Annabeth as she slid in next to him, fear and hurt still reined in his eyes but it was instantly gone when she smiled up at him and pressed a kiss to his jaw before she leaned into him. 

"Pipes is drinking cherry cola again." Percy said to Jason who sighed and took the goblet off of Piper before he threw the red contents out of the cup and onto the floor. 

"JACK GRACEFUL!" Dionysus yelled behind us. We all turned around to see him walking over to us, grinding his teeth, his fists white. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? LOOK AT THE FLOOR!"

"It was an emergency Mr D." Jason shrugged as he took his place next to Piper, who was trying to stifle her giggles. 

"AN EMERGENCY. AN EMERGENCY! CLEAN THAT UP. NOW, MASON GRANGER!"

"That's not my name Mr D." Jason said casually as he put an arm around Piper and started playing with her braids.

"CLEAN IT!" He pointed the red sticky splatters that were now drying on the floor. "OR I SWEAR TO THE GODS I WILL..."

But Dionysus was cut off as a wave of water splashed down onto the floor, washing away the red splats of cherry soda. "PERRY JOHNSON, NOW IT'S WET YOU HAVEN'T MADE IT ANY..."

But once again he was cut off, this time as a blinding light shone down on the puddles of water. The water quickly, almost instantly, dried away, and once again the floor looked spotless. 

"WESLEY SUILIVAN!" Dionysus yelled, glaring at Will. Before he eyed all of us, clutching a can of diet coke, and began shaking his head. "I hate my life." He muttered as he walked away. 

We all burst out laughing and we kept laughing until the whole hall fell silent. I turned around and saw that none of the other campers were talking. Then I turned around and saw what everyone was looking at. 

A girl, around my age, was walking into the dining room. Sorry, let me rephrase that, she seemed to be strutting. She was tossing her long, perfect, blonde hair around her shoulders and was swaying from side to side. As she walked closer to our table I could see that her eyes were a subdued blue and that she had freckles dotted around her face. 

Jason and Percy's mouths both fell open but they were quickly shut when both Annabeth and Piper shoved and elbowed their boyfriends. "Who is that?" I asked Silas.

"I don't know." He shrugged, as if he simply didn't care. "She must be new." And unlike everyone else, who was still staring this girl, Silas just turned around to face me and started talking. I wasn't really listening to what he was saying because I was too busy looking at how the light shone off of his wavy blonde hair. How his grey eyes shone as he talked. How everytime he smiles just the right amount of shyness creeps through. The way his one dimple crinkles. The way his teeth are perfectly aligned. He was a ray of sunshine, and I think I was beginning to get sunburnt. And for some reason it made me smile.

I kept smiling at him as I started to actually listen to what he was saying. "So when are you going to tell people you and Percy are siblings?"

I was about to say I didn't know and that we hadn't discussed it yet, when the blonde girl came to the head of our table. 

"I'm Celaena." She said, smiling a smile that didn't actually look nice but more demanding. "I'm named after Celaeno." She said as she slid in next to Will. She smiled her weird smile at him and I glanced over at Nico who's face was turning stormy.

"She was one of the Pleiades. And I think...one of your father's wives." She grinned, looking at Percy, who was scowling at her, tightening his grip on Annabeth. "I'm the newest member of the Aphrodite cabin and this looks like the it table." She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. "I've heard sooo much about the seven demigods who saved the world." She grinned, her blue eyes shinning. "But what I want to know... is any of it true?


	20. Matchmakers and Mistakes - 20

PERCY

I tried to hide my laughing as I watched this girl, Celaena, try and flirt with Will. It was especially funny because Will was too nice to understand that she was flirting with him. So when she asked him if he thought her hair looked nice, he just replied politely. But Nico was a different story. He was glaring at Celaena with hate lining his dark eyes. When she started playing with Will's hair, Nico started stabbing his pomegranate with his knife as his jaw clenched. 

This girl had been sitting here for ten minutes just talking. About herself. Non-stop. When she'd first sat down she'd asked about us, the prophecy of the seven and the camp. But after a minute she must have gotten bored about not talking about herself, because she changed the subject to herself. About her life in California, about her amazingly rich dad and her many, many 'normal' friends.

I looked down at Annabeth, who was sitting next to me as she leaned against me, my arm around her. She was just staring blankly at Celaena, her face a cast of boredom. She must have noticed me looking down at her because she looked up at me and rolled her eyes, before she nestled back into me.

I smiled when I noticed that she was fiddling with the coral pendant I'd given her when we'd first started dating. Gods, it felt like that had happened centuries ago. I don't like remembering my life before I'd met Annabeth. But I also didn't like remembering the parts of our lives when Annabeth's face were painted in fear. The parts when we'd been separated. The parts were Annabeth had taken scars for me. The parts were she'd bled and screamed. The parts were I couldn't save her.

Every time I see Annabeth now, part of my heart breaks. And when I see her after I had a nightmare, I can't lie, I get scared. I get scared that I'm still dreaming. I get scared that the camp around me will melt and morph into Tartarus and that me and Annabeth will once again plunge down into literal hell. 

I tore my gaze away from Annabeth who had started rolling her eyes to Piper, who was also not listening to Celaena and merely eating waffles as she leaned into Jason. 

I glanced over at Silas and Lia who were the only people at our table, other than Celaena, talking. Silas was faced away from everyone apart from Lia and was talking only to her. But Lia didn't really seem to be listening to what he was saying. She looked more distracted by Silas himself. She seemed to be staring into his eyes. I laughed quietly and nudged Annabeth, nodding over to my sister and her brother. 

She just sighed and rolled her grey eyes at me. "Don't go playing matchmaker now Percy." She whispered to me.

I put on a fake cast of confusion. "Me. Never. I wouldn't." I muttered back as I kissed her cheek.

"What are you two whispering about?" Celaena suddenly asked, overly sweet. 

"Nothing." Annabeth shot back, glaring at her. I felt her tighten under my arm as she tensed.

Celaena fiddled with her blonde hair and narrowed her eyes. Her fields of cornflowers, perfect, cloudless sky blue eyes. I hate them. Because although they were perfect and beautiful, a jealousy and a sense of darkness lingered beneath them.

"Sorry for intruding Annabeth. I didn't mean to offend you." She stood up, her skirt swaying in the early morning breeze. "Will. I was wondering if you wanted to give me a tour?" She smiled, showing a row of perfectly straight, white teeth. "I'm still a bit confused and lost." She kept smiling as she placed a hand on Will's shoulder.

It was then when Lia tore her gaze away from Silas' eyes to glare at Celaena. Her face was a mixture of anger and shock. So was Nico's, but his was less shock and more 'I want to rip your pretty blonde hair off of your stupid, perfect head'. 

"Sorry." Nico said to Celaena, his dark eyes glaring, "But me and my boyfriend are going to go train now. Goodbye." He said through gritted teeth as he leaded Will, who shrugged to us and smiled apologetically at Celaena, away. 

Celaena sat down, next to Silas, scowling but when she noticed all of us staring at her, she quickly started smiling her sickly smile. We were all silent until Lia started snickering at something Silas must have said. 

"What are you laughing at?" Celaena asked, trying to keep up her sweet facade.

Lia's eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to talk but Silas cut her off. "Nothing."

Celaena started laughing a twinkly laugh and batted her eyelashes as she placed her hand on Silas' arm. Lia's face went red ,with what I could only imagine was anger and jealousy (not that I'm matchmaking), as Silas's face just went blank and he started down at her elegant hand on his arm. 

"Silas." Lia said. "You said you'd help me train. We should probably go. Now."

Celaena raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow at Lia before she started talking, "Who even are you?".

Lia looked taken aback and shocked but before she could answer I did. "Lia's my sister. Her name's Lia Jackson."

Jason and Piper stared at me, then Lia, then back at me, mouths wide open. "Oh my gods." Piper said. "Oh. My. Actual. GOD!" She laughed. "How did we not realise? How...how?" 

I lightly shook my head at her before I laughed at Jason who's mouth was still open. I glanced over to Lia who had gone bright red. I smiled at her and she raised an eyebrow back at me. I shrugged in answer before Celaena started talking.

"Wait. You're Lia?" She asked. "But I thought you were my sister. Aphrodite claimed you. So did Zeus." When she said that Jason's mouth fell open again. "Dad claimed you?"

Lia just shrugged at both of them. "Your mum was bored and wanted to stir some tea up." Them she over to Jason. "Your dad wants to kill me because he accidentally gave me some of his magic." Jason fell silent as he looked at Piper, confusion painted on his face. 

I laughed quietly as Celaena looked slightly offended. But then she smiled again and said "I like you Lia. We're going to be best friends."

Lia scoffed and raised an eyebrow at her before she answered, arms folded. "I think I can choose my own friends, thanks." 

Celaena shook her head before she stood up, anger in her face. "I don't care who you are Lia Jackson. I don't care who your dad is or what abilities you have. You just made a grave mistake." And with that she turned dramatically around and strutted away, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze as she walked over to the Aphrodite table, her hands in fists.

"What just happened?" Jason asked, scratching his head, looking thoroughly confused.

"Seems like I just made 'a grave mistake'." Lia rolled her bright green eyes as she started prodding at her food. "Pfhhhh. We'll see."


	21. Training and Trigger-Happy - 21

LIA

I was standing, gripping a sword, at the edge of the creek.

Ring a bell? 

Yep, I was standing at the same creek for another game of capture the stupid flag. But this time, I wasn't clutching any old sword, I was baring Harpe. And this time, I wasn't alone. Percy and Jason were on either side of me, baring their own weapons - Riptide and Juno's Gladius. 

Well, they weren't really baring their weapons or ready to fight. Jason was halfway up a tree, his sword floating next to him mid-air being controlled by his winds. While Percy, was sitting on the ground, moving the dry dirt around with Riptide. 

I was the only one standing, and I was the only one actually holding my weapon properly. 

"So, you and Silas?" Percy asked me, looking up from under his eyelashes. I raised an eyebrow at him as I folded my arms. 

"Shut up." I said as I paced the creek, swinging Harpe around.

"Why were we stationed at the creek anyway?" Jason asked, slightly annoyed. "We could win this for them." 

"Yeah." Percy agreed as he started to stab the ground with Riptide. "Why did Annabeth chuck us here?"

I rolled my eyes as I faced both of them. "You two were put here because Annabeth said, you both got too trigger happy last game." 

Jason rolled his eyes. "Not too trigger happy. Not like overly trigger happy."

Percy grinned as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, if we have nothing to do. We might aswell put our spare time to good use." He gripped Riptide and started swinging at me. "What are you doing Percy?" I shouted, dodging his strike. 

"We're training." He replied simply as he again swung at me. 

"Percy!" I shouted as I ducked and rolled, but he didn't reply. He just ran towards me and I just managed to spin out of the way.

"You might aswell fight back Lia." Jason laughed from up his tree. 

"Shut up Jason." I shouted, as I once again spun away from Percy and Riptide. The fourth time he jabbed at me with his sword, I growled in frustration and channeled my power. I channeled it down into the creek and grinned as a wave of water hit Percy.

Unfortunately, he didn't get wet, thanks to his own ability, but his powers didn't stop his face from looking shocked as it poured over him. 

He clicked his tongue and shook his head at me grinning, as he raised an eyebrow.

I didn't understand why he looked so cocky until I felt a mass wave of water drench me. Except I wasn't drenched, because of my powers, but I also jumped back in shock. 

We fought for a while, I would strike with Harpe but he would just block with Riptide. I would slightly soak water on him, but he would just drench me. I wasn't going to win against him if I just kept using water, because Percy had stronger hydrokinesis than me. 

So I let him think he was winning for a couple of minutes. But when he struck at me with Riptide again, I grinned and ran backwards, summoning some wind to lift me off of the ground. 

I'd been practising my aerokinesis lately and I could now ride air currents. Not that I had told Percy I'd been practising. I laughed as his face fell as I got higher into the air, until I was floating next to Jason. I shrugged at Percy and laughed, swinging Harpe around in the air. 

"Too slow Percy. Sorry, big brother but it sucks to be you."

I'd won.

Well, I thought I had, but when a massive hand, made of water, grabbed me out of the air and pulled me down, shoving me into the creek, I guessed Percy had won.

I climbed out of the creek, rolling my eyes as Percy laughed and bowed. 

"You're an idiot." I scowled. 

"Awww. Little sister." He said, wrapping his arm around me. "Of course I was going to win."

I was about to open my mouth to tell him again, to shut up, when Jason called down to us. "Oi, Ares ahead."

I shrugged and rolled Harpe in my hand. 

"Easy." Percy grinned.

"Uhhh. And Hephaestus and Apollo. And some of Hermes." Jason called down.

I gulped as I started to hear the thundering sound of their footsteps. "How many?" Percy called up to Jason,extremely casually.

"Thirty." Jason called back, still casually lying in his damn tree. "Give or take a couple."

"Lets get ready then." Percy laughed, swinging Riptide around. "Now, remember Lia. The trick is to not look like you're trying. Like, yeah, try obviously. But try and look...chill."

I looked up at my brother, brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you crazy?" I loudly whispered at him, trying not to draw attention. "We need to run. We can't beat all of them Percy. The freaking flag isn't even here!"

When he just grinned down at me, I sighed. "You're crazy. Completely and utterly mental."

"Not completely, little sister. Just enough."

I was about to protest but was interrupted as Jason landed down next to us, baring his sword. 

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I watched the two of them nod at each other, before Percy took a couple of steps towards the creek. Then he faced me and Jason and, grinning, summoned a massive wall of water that stayed completely still behind him. 

I sighed as Jason laughed back before he flew higher into the air and bared his sword. 

Gods. Their fighting stances were weird. 

Well, if we were going to take on thirty of the most trained campers, I might as well give it my all. 

So, feeling a bit stupid, I summoned an air current (albeit, a slightly shaky current) and lifted myself off of the ground and summoned a smaller wave of water than Percy's, but still a wave anyway and kept it beside me.

"I cannot believe we're doing this." I cringed as I tightened my grip on Harpe.

"I can." Jason laughed from beside me.

A voice hooted from behind me, as the campers came into view, baring their weapons. "Oooooh baby sister. You. Are. Going. To. Enjoy. This."

And with that hoot, Percy threw his water at the campers, Jason flew straight into them, and I swore colourfully before I flew into the crowd, spewing water and reining harmless sparks of lightning.


	22. Tactics and Tricks - 22

LIA

I landed on the ground, in the midst of everyone fighting. Around five campers, all Ares, ran at me - swinging their weapons around.

I grinned as I shook my head. "Really want to do this?" I shouted over the noise of the fighting, but the Ares kids either didn't hear me or didn't care because they just kept charging. I rolled my eyes as I shot my right hand out towards the running water and pulled it towards me, aiming it straight at the campers.

I rolled my head as the all stopped in their tracks, drenched in water. "Sorry guys. I tried to warn you but...you just wouldn't listen. Really, if you think about it. Its your fault. So... how about you go and think about what you did."

They clearly didn't like my little pep talk though, because all they did was grunt and charge at me again. Gods, why were they still trying to fight me? I rolled my green eyes as I shot up into the sky, and although my stomach churned as I bulleted up into the air, I still smiled as all five of them ran into each other, knocking themselves out. 

I looked behind me to see Percy fighting about ten campers and Jason fighting another ten. I glanced around to see who I could fight but there was only one person who caught me eye. 

Celaena was walking straight towards me, baring a dagger. Jaw clenched, I landed back on the ground and pulled Harpe out of the scabbard. 

"Not going to use your magical water?" She taunted as she swished her blonde hair behind her back. "Or how about your invisible wings? Or your charmspeak. Ohhh...wait. Sorry, I forgot, you can't use it. Why don't you just dance your way out of this Lia?"

I bit my lip and I gripped Harpe tighter. "Oh Celaena. I'm just going to beat you the old fashioned way. One on one combat. But can you even hold a weapon?" 

"I-" But I cut her off as I slammed Harpe into her sagger, causing it to fall out of her hand. She hissed at me as I grinned at her. 

"I'm going to kill you Lia Jackson."

"I'm afraid that if you do that, you don't get desserts for a week." I grinned as I passed Harpe from hand to hand. 

"Ok." She said suddenly, standing straight, "I won't do it." Then she looked to her right and I saw him. 

"Silas. Get her sword off of her. Beat. Her." She said to him.

Charmspeak, I figured. Silas looked at me and rolled his eyes but nonetheless, he started walking towards me, sword in hand.

"Gods, you can't even break out of her little spell Silas?" I laughed as he narrowed his grey eyes at me. "That is tragic. Its really a low point for you." I laughed as he carried on towards me, his wavy blonde hair blowing, slightly, in the wind.

"Shut up Lia." He said as he continued towards me. I looked over his shoulder and saw Celaena standing arms folded, watching us. "I know what I'm doing. Like, I'm mentally aware that I'm trying to...destroy you. I just can't...I can't stop."

"Destroy me?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "You're an idiot." I grinned as he swung at me. Ducking, I jabbed back with Harpe. "Are you really going to fight me?" I laughed.

"Why don't you just put your dammed sword down Lia?" He asked, frowning. "Just. Concede."

"Where's the fun in that?" I laughed.

 

 

After five minutes I wasn't laughing anymore. I was grunting and hissing in pain as Silas kept slamming and hitting into me. Gods, the boy was good at what he did.

I wasn't going to win. That much was obvious. The best I could do was to keep sparring with him until someone broke Silas out of Celaena's charmspeak.  I quickly glanced behind my shoulder saw that everyone was still fighting with Percy and Jason, so that ruled out someone breaking him out. 

Unless... I broke him out.

So I thought of the first thing that came into my mind. And, before I tell you what it was I did...you have to believe me when I say it was tactics. Honestly, it was.

There was only so many times I could stand to be flipped and pinned to the ground or find myself panting and generally staring up at the smug look on Silas' face (that I'm pretty sure wasn't the charmspeak) before drastic action was called for. 

So, I kissed him. 

I surprised myself aswell, I didn't really mean to kiss him, just startle him. Instead of startling him, I kissed him. And, okay, so maybe I got a bit distracted for a moment or so, fingers curling into his hair, pressing closer because Silas was a surprisingly good kisser and-

And suddenly I was on the ground.

I was pinned to the ground, with a sparkling-eyed Silas on top of me with a rather...intent look on his face.

I swallowed, mouth dry, unable to look away.

"That," Silas murmured, breathing a little heavier than he had been a few minutes ago. "Was a filthy trick Lia."

I raised an eyebrow at him, unable to stop myself from grinning. "It worked though. It pulled you out of the charmspeak."

Silas smiled down at me. "I suppose it did." He grinned as he helped me up. Then, he turned around and faced Celaena, before he threw his sword on the ground. 

Celaena hissed in frustration before she started muttering under her breath. As she murmured, all the other campers instantly stopped. They stopped fighting Jason and Percy and they all just...froze. 

Then they all turned around and faced Celaena. As she kept murmuring, she glared at me one more time, before she turned away and started walking away. All the other campers started following her and we stood still and watched them all leave, trailing after Celaena. 

"They knew that the flag wasn't here!" I cried out in frustration, "Celaena made them come here. She used her charmspeak to get them here. To fight me!" 

When no one answered me, I turned around to see all three boys staring at me. One smiling awkwardly, one smirking, eyebrows raised and one was just plain staring at me. 

"What?" I questioned.

"Just because we were fighting doesn't mean we didn't see you and Silas." Percy said, eyebrows raised.

I looked at Jason, who was just standing there, smiling awkwardly, and then at Silas who was just frozen. 

"It was tactics." I shrugged before I walked off back to camp- leaving Jason laughing, Percy half glaring, half smirking at Silas, and Silas who was just left gaping after me.


	23. Knowing and Kisses - 23

LIA

I was dancing on the beach when I saw Silas. I saw him walk down in his trainers and his shorts. Walk down with his stupid tanned legs and stupid chiseled jaw. Even as he walked down to me and as we made eye contact, I still didn't stop dancing. I moved to the music that was playing from the speaker next to me. I twirled and spun, dancing with the water behind me. 

I ran backwards and was about to do a leap when the music turned off. I stumbled and fell into the sand, face first. I pushed myself up onto my knees and spat out sand as I tried to rub it out of my eyes. "Why did you do that?" I asked Silas as I stood up and brushed myself off. I was surprised he was here, we hadn't spoken in two weeks - not since I'd kissed him.

He walked towards me as he spoke, "You're beautiful...I mean your dancing. Your dancing's beautiful. But...I need to talk to you."

"Ok." I grinned, scraping my long hair back into a plait. "Talk."

He walked closer to me until we were standing only an arms width away from each other. 

His grey eyes looked me up and down before they finally settled on my own eyes. "I can't figure you out Lia." 

I bit my lip as he continued. "I can always figure everything out. That's what I'm good at... figuring things out. I'm the son of Athena, for gods sake. But..." He said as he took my hand in his own. "I can't figure you out Lia Jackson."

"Do you want to?" I asked, looking up at him from underneath my eyelashes. "Do you want to figure me out?"

He nodded and I smiled as his throat bobbed. He was nervous. I don't think I'd ever seen Silas nervous before that moment. 

I looked up at him as we stood silent, our hands still joined. His eyes were so solid, so bright, the exact lustrous color of a polished shard of metal.

"Your eyes are like smoke. Grey and full of heat." I whispered.

"Hate to break it to you, Shakespeare, but smoke isn’t full of heat, it’s an effect of heat." He laughed as he looked into my eyes. 

“That works too.” I smiled, still not moving. Still holding his hand. “They always get darker and grayer when you’re angry.”

“Like you would notice.” He tried to say it snarky but it came out quiet and hushed.

“Like I wouldn’t.” I replied simply, watching as his blonde wavy hair moved slightly in the salty wind. "I notice everything about you. I notice how you're always calculating. Always taking everything in. I notice how you cock your head when you get angry. I notice how you look at your friends, how you would do anything to protect them. How your blonde hair makes your dusting of freckles pop against your tanned skin. I know your middle name's Andrew. I know you have twenty-three freckles on your face and one of them's shaped like a square. I know you're scared of spiders and you're scared of heights. I know you don't like cats. I know you have a mole on your neck. I know you're amazing at maths and english, but you really love music. I know you Silas Ivy. I know everything about you." 

For a couple of seconds he didn't say anything and when he did all he said was "I didn't even know all of that."

I laughed lightly as he continued, "I know you too Lia. I know you get anxious in public. I know you try and be sassy and sarcastic to hide the fear you have. I know you love chocolate tarts. I know you love to play the piano. I know dance is your life. I know you're scared of horses. I know you're amazing at art but haven't told anyone. I know you're so desperate for your family to be together. I know how happy you were when Percy found out. I know that you look at your friends with pride and defence. I know you'd kill for your friends. I know you. I know you Lia Jackson."

I think he was waiting for me to reply. But I didn't. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He was shocked at first, and being the akward person Silas is, he didn't kiss me back for a couple of seconds, but then he did. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off of my feet. I smiled into the kiss as I dug my fingers into his surfer hair. 

When we pulled apart, he smiled down at me and I smiled up at him. "Gods." I whispered.

Silas opened his mouth to say something, but before he did a sound from the edge of the forest made us both turn.

Leo, Calypso, Percy, Jason, Piper, Nico, Wil, Annabeth, Hazel and Frank were all standing at the edge of the beach. They were all standing still, trying to hide behind a bush. Well, all apart from Leo who was jumping up and down in the air, waving his arms around. 

I felt myself blush as I heard him yell, "Lia's got a boyfriend. Silas' got a girlfriend."

He kept jumping up and down before Percy stood up and pushed him back down behind the bush.

"Would you still do anything for your friends now?" Silas murmured as our foreheads touched.

"I'd do anything for you." I smiled before I started kissing him all over again. 


	24. Chess and Cheekbones - 24

PERCY

I was playing chess with Annabeth on the beach when Lia and Silas came over to us. And yes, I don't like to play chess but I do it with Annabeth because I like her. 

Annabeth was two moves away from beating me when Silas and Lia ran over. Holding hands.

Now, I like Silas.

He's a good guy and he's Annabeth's brother. He's smart. He's good at fighting. I like him. I just don't know yet if I like him enough to let him go out with my sister. I don't know if I'll ever like anyone enough to go out with Lia.

Even though I'd only actually met her four weeks ago, I felt like I'd known her for years. My whole life. She felt like my little sister. 

And I wasn't going to let any old chump go out with my little sister. 

"Oh look, Lia and Silas are here. Guess we have to finish the game now. What a shame." I said as I tipped the chess board upside down onto the sand. Annabeth started to protest but I quickly covered her mouth with my hand. "What is it my dear sister? I hope its something very important because you sadly interrupted our fantastic, thrilling and all around super fun, game of chess." I smiled up at Lia, who looked down at me confused, and Silas, who seemed to be gazing longly at the toppled over chessboard.

Annabeth lightly bit me and I pulled my hand back, pouting at her. She looked at me with her stormy grey eyes. "You didn't need to push the board over Percy!" She exclaimed.

"Yes. Yes I did Annabeth, but I didn't want to, like I said it was a fun game. I just did what had to be done." I said to her, deadly serious as I raised my eyebrow. 

She tried to stop the smile from creeping up on her as she folded her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"So..." I looked back at Lia and Silas, eyebrows raised and smirking. "What is it?"

"Grover's back." Silas said, grinning.

I jumped up too fast and fell down onto the sand, face first. Spitting out sand, I scrambled to my feet and started sprinting off of the beach and into the woods. "GROVER'S BACK! WOOOOOOOO!" I yelled as I left Annabeth, Lia and Silas behind me and ran through the woods. "MOVE!" I yelled at some campers who were standing in front of me. They rolled their eyes as they stepped out of my way, but I didn't care, because GROVER WAS BACK!

Now, you can imagine my excitement when Silas told me that Grover was back. Grover was my oldest friend. He was the first person to ever actually be my friend. We'd both been on the quest for Athena's flute together, and it'b been just like old times. But then Grover'd had to leave the quest for some satyr reason. But now he was back. "GROVVVVVVVVER!" I yelled as I carried on running.

LIA

We watched as Percy ran into the woods, falling over a couple of times. I turned and looked at Annabeth, who was just pinching her nose and rolling her eyes. "I can't believe this is the guy I've chosen to love." But even as she said that, she ran off, following Percy.

I smiled and looked up at Silas. "Grover's Juniper's boyfriend right?" I asked him.

"Yeah. And Percy and Annabeth's best friend."

I meant to smile, smile at the fact that Annabeth and Percy were each other's oldest friend and their other oldest friend had finally returned. But I frowned instead. Something seemed to tug on my heart as I thought about friendship. 

"Are you okay?" Silas frowned down at me as he lightly pulled me closer into him.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. I just...I just feel like there's something still missing. You know what I mean?" I smiled faintly at him.

"Lots of your memories are still lost Lia. Maybe you're remembering something?" He said.

"No. I'm just remembering that...I can't remember things."

Silas opened his mouth to say something but shouting from the cabins interrupted him. We looked to the cabins then back to each other before we ran towards the cabins. "What do you think it was?" I asked Silas as we ran.

"Hopefully nothing to do with Grover coming back. Hopefully no ones hurt."

"My bet's on Leo." I muttered as we passed the mess hall. Silas snorted in reply as we ran faster. 

When we reached the cabins we were both panting, but I was panting less. "Gotta get that training in, Silas." I patted Silas on the back as we turned around Cabin 1. "Shut up." He smirked as he took my hand. We walked in front of the cabin and froze in our steps. I raised my eyebrow at the scene in front of us.

All the campers were crowded around a tall woman, who stood around three feet tall. We stood at the back and watched the woman talk to the campers. "You are all my friends children." She said. Her voice sounded like she was singing.

She turned around to talk to people that were in front of us so I managed to see what she looked like. Her eyes seemed to be a dulled pink and her dark brown hair flowed down like a waterfall. Her hair reached down to her hips. 

Her lips were plump and pink and her cheekbones looked like Angelina Jolie's. She also seemed to have a pink aura glowing around her.

"You're a stranger." One of the campers said.

"But strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." She said in her sing-song voice.

"I'm pretty sure that's from Parks and Recreation." I muttered to Silas. He looked down at me as if my hair was on fire.

"Edgar Guest." He said. "It was Edgar Guest who said that."

I shook my head at him. "Edgar Guest was a poet." I said, eyes narrowed. "He wasn't in Parks and Recreation Silas."

The woman swished her hair around as she kept talking to the campers. "Gods." Silas whispered to me.

"What?" I muttered.

"That's Philotes." Silas said, looking astonished. "She's the minor goddess of affection and friendship."

"Why is she here?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"I don't know." Silas shrugged. He bit his lip and cocked his head. "We'll probably find out soon."

I shrugged and watched as Philotes turned around and said, "Where is Lia Jackson?" 


	25. Bas and Babe - 25

SILAS

"Where is Lia Jackson?" 

Me and Lia switched a look as all the campers around us stared at us. I raised an eyebrow at her as she bit her lip. That’s what Lia does when she’s thinking. She bites her lip. It’s cute, I’ll admit. She looked up at me, her face a cast of confusion.

What do I do? Her green eyes seemed to ask.

I don't know! I shrugged. 

Lia looked from me to Philotes then back to me, her eyes wide. I glanced over at Philotes who was looking at all of us, waving her hands around, her dark hair billowing around her. None of the campers were saying anything, although they all knew me and Lia were behind them.  

I cannot be bothered with the gods and their demands at the moment. Her eyes seemed to say.

I lightly shook my head at Lia. Just leave it. No one's going to tell her who you are. Let's wait and see what she does.

Lia nodded to me and leaned, still thinking, against the wall of cabin one. She seemed to watch in amusement as Philotes floated around and asked everybody where Lia Jackson was. No one said anything and just shrugged when she asked them.

That was until Percy, Annabeth and Nico turned up.

Philotes turned around to them and threw her hands in the air when she saw Percy. "Perseus Jackson. The Persus Jackson. My dear, where is your sister?"

While Philotes was talking to Percy, Annabeth looked over to me and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head and clenched my jaw, trying to convey the message to get her to not tell Philotes where we where.

"Where is Lia Jackson?" Philotes asked Percy again. Percy looked at us, and I again shook my head, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Annabeth interrupted him.

"Oh, sorry, she's not here at the moment. She left a couple days ago to go visit family."

Philotes kept on her sweet smile, but her eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Yeah." Nico backed up Annabeth. "She's not here. Sorry." He shrugged and when Philotes smiled at him he frowned and buried himself into his denim jacket.  “She’s not here.” He awkwardly repeated before he moved behind Annabeth. 

"Oh." Philotes nodded solemnly before she said "Ah. I see. I shall return later then."

I blew a sigh of relief and noticed Lia do the same. I reached for her hand and squeezed it as she closed her eyes in relief. Phew.

“What are you talking about?” Percy’s voice interrupted my relief.

Gods. Oh gods what is he doing? I thought as I watched Annabeth and Nico cringe.

Lia’s green eyes suddenly opened and she stared, wide eyed at me.

”Lia’s right over there.” Percy pointed over to us and Lia’s face went bright red. “Hi Lia.” He waved his hand.

Philotes slowly turned to face us but she didn’t say anything, she just smiled and waved her hand elegantly at Lia. Then she disappeared, leaving only a puff of pale cream feathers behind.

Or I think she disappeared but I was more concerned about Lia, who had just fainted. I swore colourfully as I caught her in my arms.

”Lia!” I tried to sound calm but even I could hear the panic rising in my voice. “Lia. Babe come on. Lia.”

LIA

I woke up in cabin one. I could tell that’s where I was because in the middle of the room there was a massive statue of Zeus. And when I say massive, I mean 10 feet tall. Zeus’ stern face glared down at me as I pulled the blanket closer over me.

The bed I was in, which was Jason’s, was the only piece of furniture in there. I looked over to the side and saw Silas sleeping. His head was on the bed but he was lying on the floor. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair. I really did love Silas’ hair. I loved how the light caught the wavy, unkept, blonde strands. 

Bas had black hair that always looked messy. 

Gods.

Bas.

BAS!

Basil, son of Triton. Triton who’s dad’s herald and commander.

Basil, my boyfriend. Basil who I could only now remember.

As I looked at Silas sleeping, tears started to slowly fall down my face. 

Philotes had given me back some more of my memories. But I didn’t know if I wanted these memories back. 

Gods, what have I done, I though to myself as Silas woke up. He yawned and stretched, his grey eyes shining. “Thank gods you’re awake.” He smiled as he took my hand into his own. Then he looked up at me and frowned. “Have you been crying Lia?” He asked, his voice concerned.

And as Silas pulled me into his warmth, and patted my head as he muttered to me, the tears just fell faster and harder. Gods, what had I done?


	26. Snow and Skating - 26 - Christmas Chapter

Here's an early Christmas present readers. Well, part one of the present. Part two should be out around the New Year.

But this one's a long one guys. So grab a snack, maybe a blanket a cheeky hot chocolate and settle in. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year x 

Oh, and props to you if you get the Harry Potter reference in this chapter.

 

LIA

CHRISTMAS DAY

I woke up at six. Yeah, I know it's early, but who gets up late on Christmas? I squealed and tried to get out of bed but ended up sprawled on the floor. Lying on the floor, I looked up from underneath my eyelashes and saw Percy kneeling down next to me, already dressed, and grinning. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

We both scrambled up to our feet and started jumping and yelling. "It's Christmas!" We both laughed as we started to danced around our tree. The tree was pretty tall, it almost reached the top of our cabin, and it was navy blue. I had wanted to go with a real tree, but before I could even ask Percy about it, he had already bought this one. 

It wasn't bad, and the white baubles and grey tinsel made it look...kind of nice. We'd decorated it together and Percy had let me put the star on top. 

We danced around the tree, laughing and singing random carols out of tune before we collapsed onto the floor in a fit of giggles. 

"Time for presents, methinks." Percy grinned as we composed ourselves and sat, cross-legged, on the floor-boards. 

Percy leaned over and started pushing the presents that were under the tree around. Most of the presents under our tree were for our friends. Me and Percy had combined our money to get all our friends a present each. We'd gotten Hazel a horse colouring book and new riding boots. For Frank we'd got a Nike gift voucher and a bear plushie. We'd gotten Piper a new scabbard for Katoptris and a new choker (Yes, I'd picked it out while Percy'd stood there confused as to how a choker was different to a opera necklace.) For Jason, we'd gotten a new glasses case and Percy, for some reason, had chosen a painting of a brick for him. For Leo we'd gotten new sunglasses and a joke book. We'd also gotten Nico a new jacket, this one was a dark grey and not black so I was hoping he would still like it.

I'd gotten Calypso some new shoes and fairy lights and I'd gotten Will a matching jacket to Nico, but Will's was denim blue, not grey. 

I imagined Percy had gotten Grover and Annabeth his own presents as I'd gotten Silas his own gift.

I watched as Percy moved the presents out of the way and pulled out a small, very badly wrapped present.

"I wrapped it myself." He said to me proudly, grinning.

"It's really nice." I smiled, trying hard not to laugh. 

He watched as I ripped open the wrapping paper and pulled out a silver key. I ran it over my fingers, feeling the Camp symbol engraved on it.

"A key?" I asked, cocking my head. Percy grinned at me before he placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A couple seconds later a white horse stuck its head in through the window. "Yo." The horse said, and it seemed to be smiling at us. I started at it, mouth wide open. "Did...did the horse...did the horse just...TALK TO US?" I exclaimed. 

"Yeah, this is Seabiscuit. She's my pegasus, Blackjack's sister. And now she's yours. The key's for her stall in the stables. " Percy said nonchalantly. 

"Hi boss-lady." Seabiscuit said to me as she whipped her white mane around and stretched her platinum wings out. 

"Hi." I waved to Seabiscuit before I whispered to Percy. "How am I talking to her right now?"

Percy shrugged before he whispered back, "Dad's genes. It allows us to talk to horses."

I nodded, still a bit shocked before I looked back to Seabiscuit. 

"Well, I'm gonna bounce. See ya later boss-lady." She said before she trotted away. 

"Thanks." I said to Percy before I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug. 

"No problem, little sister." He said, as he ruffled my hair. I batted his hand away from my head and laughed.

I pulled out of the hug and then pulled out Percy's present from under my bed. I gulped as I gave it to him and my hands started to shake. Gods, why had I gotten him this, why hadn't I just gotten him some stupid aftershave. 

My heart beat faster as he started to unwrap the paper. "You're really good at wrapping Lia." He said it as if it was a bigger accomplishment that climbing Everest. 

"Thanks." I manage to get out as he continued unwrapping. I watched him smile as he looked down at the gift I'd gotten him. He lifted it up and I saw his green eyes start to slightly water. 

He pulled the frame I'd gotten him to his chest before he pulled me into a massive hug. "Lia. I don't know what to say."

"It's fine." I muttered into the hug. "I know."

When we pulled out of the hug both of our cheeks were slightly wet. A knock at the door jolted both of us. "That'll be Annabeth." I should probably go." He faintly smiled at me as he stood up. 

"Ok, I'll see you tonight." I said. 

"What are you gonna do today?" He asked as he placed the frame down on his bed. 

"Get changed and then I guess go see Silas." 

"Ah. Okay. I'll see you later tonight." He called back to me as he tied his scarf around his neck and went outside. "Bye."

"Bye." I called back to him as I stood up. As I passed Percy's bed I looked down at the frame. It was a light grey with broken bits of seashells embedded in it. But the frame wasn't really the part that mattered. The gift was the photo inside of the frame. It was a picture of me when I was one, sitting and laughing on Percy's, who was two, lap. Percy was wearing a santa costume and I was wearing a reindeer outfit. We were both laughing and we both had cream smeared on our faces.

I'd asked dad to send me the photo. It was the only one of me and Percy during Christmas that existed. 

I smiled down at the photo and kept smiling as I got changed. I put on my Christmas jumper. It was cream and woollen with reindeers embroidered on it. I wiggled into my jeans and laced up my boots as I sang Carol of the Bells and pulled my jacket on. I grabbed Silas' present and put it in my jacket pocket before I put my gloves on. I took one last look at the picture of me and Percy before I let myself out of the cabin.

I smiled as I took my first step of Christmas Day onto the fluffy snow that had fallen two nights ago. I breathed out and watched as my breath turned to mist in the air. I laughed as I walked off of the cabin porch and towards the Athena cabin. 

I knocked onto the door and smiled when Silas opened it. "Hi." I smiled.

"Hi." He grinned as he held the door open for me. 

"No one else is here?" I asked as I walked into the cabin. 

"No. Just us." He said, as he leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets. 

"Good." I said softly as I stepped towards him. "Means I can do this then." I wrapped my arms around him before I went up on my toes and kissed him. We kissed until we heard footsteps behind us. We pulled apart to see Malcolm standing next to the table in the middle of the Athena cabin. I felt myself blush but I smiled when I saw that Silas' face was now also furiously red. 

"Morrrnin'." Malcolm grinned as he sipped from a mug he was holding, while one hand rested on the table. He raised an eyebrow at us before he sipped again.

I rolled my eyes and looked back up at Silas who awkwardly smiled back down at me. "Wanna go for a walk?" He asked. 

"Yeah, ok." I said, slipping my hand into Silas'. I glanced back at Malcolm who was still standing next to the table. He gave me a look and raised his eyebrow again before the wind blew the door shut, blocking him out from my view.

We walked together, laughing and talking, past the campfire (which had been replaced by a massive christmas tree) and towards the canoe lake. Our feet crunched in the snow as we walked hand in hand. I scrunched up my nose as it got colder and colder, but as I laughed with Silas, the cold didn't seem to matter anymore. 

"Look." He pointed over at the frozen lake. "Everyone's ice-skating." I looked over to where Silas was pointing his gloved hand and giggled when I saw Jason, Piper, Nico and Will sliding around on the ice. "Well, looks more like ice-shuffiling." I smiled as I grabbed Silas' hand and pulled him towards the lake. 

"Come on." I grinned as I shuffled out onto the lake, my hands out for balance. "Hi guys!" I called over to Jason, Piper, Nico and Will, who all turned around and waved. I shuffled closer to them, assuming Silas was behind me but when I turned around he was still standing on the snowy bank, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. 

"Come on." I laughed as I nearly fell over.

SILAS

I rolled my eyes but trudged onto the ice nonetheless. I couldn't keep my frown on as Lia slipped on the ice and fell into my arms. "Hi." She said softly. 

"Hi." I grinned. We'd been going out for a month but she still got nervous when things like this happened. It was pretty cute.

I helped her onto her feet and holding hands we slid over to the others. Jason was hovering above the ice, his hat almost falling off of his head, while he held hands with Piper (who's feet were on the ground) and led her around the ice. Nico and Will were both skating around in circles, Nico with his hands in his pockets and a cast of boredom on his face while Will had the biggest grin on his. 

When we joined the others, Lia gripped my hand tighter and we started skating around. We held hands as we both spun around. I  kept my eyes on her as we spun around. The rest of the world became a kind of blur when I was with Lia.

She was laughing as we spun. Her jet-black hair fell into her face as her sea-green eyes danced. The freckles that dotted her tanned face seemed to dance as she laughed. I loved Lia's laugh. It automatically made you happy. It brightened everyone's face and it was contagious. 

Soon we were both laughing and spinning until our ears and noses were red with coldness. We both fell onto the ice, wheezing and grinning. I sat up and waited as Lia did the same before I handed her her gift. I'd asked Annabeth to wrap it as I couldn't wrap to save my life. I watched Lia's face light up as she took it out of the box. "Oh Silas." She smiled. "Help me put it on?" 

I stood up and offered her a hand to help her up too. "Of course." I smiled. She handed me the necklace I'd given her and I fastened it around her neck. It was made of plain black string with a single blue seashell strung on it. Lia turned around and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you." She muttered before she quickly pulled out of the hug and went on her tiptoes to kiss me. 

When we pulled out of the kiss, Lia's face was pink and she was grinning wildly. "Your turn." She bit her lip as she pulled out a red wrapped box from her jacket pocket. "Here." She watched me, scrutinisingly, as I undid the ribbon the gently peeled the paper off. 

It was a letter. From mum. I didn't even read it, I just looked at Lia and held the piece of parchment up. "What is this?" I asked, trying hard not to sound confused. 

"It's a letter."

When I raised an eyebrow at her she bit her lip. "From your mum. I...I went to Olympus and...and I talked to your mum...and I...I asked her to...I asked her to take you back on your apprenticeship. And she said yes."

LIA

Silas was quiet for a minute or two before he said "What?"

I looked down and moved my foot around on the ice. "I thought you wanted...I thought you wanted to go back."

"No. That's..." He shook his head and lightly moved my chin up so I was looking up at him. "That's not what I meant. I did. I do want my apprenticeship back. I mean...I just can't believe someone...that you did that for me."

"Of course I would." I said, smiling as I shoved my hands in my pockets. 

Silas wrapped me in another hug and held me tight. "Thank you. Thank you Lia. I can't believe someone would do that for me."

"Don't get mushy now." I said into the hug, smiling.

I felt him shake his head. "Not mushy. True." I grinned and wrapped my arms around him tighter, sighing in his warmth.

"Come on lovebirds." 

We pulled out of the hug to see Piper becoming us over. I grinned up at Silas before we started to walk towards our friends. 


	27. Swaying and Sea-Guy - 27 - New Years Chapter

SILAS

We were all dancing and laughing on the beach. Waiting for the clock to strike midnight. New Year. New me.

But...the thing is...I like who I am now.

I've got a great, funny, beautiful (basically all of the good adjectives in the dictionary) girlfriend. I've got amazing friends, an incredible home and I've even got my apprenticeship with mum back.

I looked around at everyone. Music was blaring from Leo's speaker and everyone was dancing barefoot on the sand. Jason and Piper were dancing together - proper ballroom dancing. Leo, Will and Calypso were just jumping around, throwing their arms in the air as they danced uncoordinatedly. Percy and Annabeth were the only ones not dancing, excluding me and Nico.

They were sitting together, Annabeth's head on his shoulder as they talked. Nico was standing behind behind Wil, Leo and Calypso, leaning against a tree, the tips of his mouth curling up as he watched his boyfriend and friends dance.

Lia was the only one of us who could actually dance. Yeah, she was having fun and laughing but she also had rhythm and direction. As she laughed, she spun and twirled her hair around, pointing her feet and leaping around gracefully.

I smiled as she danced over to me, her eyes not leaving mine. I loved her eyes. They were the colour of fresh kelp on the shore, the colour of the waves when they crashed against the cliffside. Her eyes were the ocean incarnate. The sea embodied.

Well, she was the daughter of Poseidon. She practically was the ocean.

When she reached me, she threw her arms around my waist and buried her face in my neck. I put my arms around her, pulling her closer as we kind of swayed to the music. We swayed for a couple of minutes before she pulled back, looking at me. Then she...laughed. Well, I don't know if you could class it as a laugh.

The noise that she made seemed like a cross between a snort and a drunken laugh, Lia not knowing when to breathe between the giggles. I arched an eyebrow at her as she kept laughing. "What's going on with you?" I asked.

"I really like you." She said, still giggling. "Like...really...really..." She paused to think, looking away from me. "Really like you." She smiled, looking back up at me, laughter painted in her eyes.

"What have you had to drink?" I asked her, eyebrows arched, arms still around her. She bit her lip and giggled as she pulled herself closer to me. "Just some cola. Connor gave it to me." 

She giggled again and I couldn't help smiling at her. "You drank something Connor gave you?" I asked, the corners of my mouth curling up. 

"Yeah. It was yummy." She laughed, burying her face in my neck. She smelled like salt water and sand. She smelled like harsh wind and cold air. 

"Lia." I said as I felt her smile.

She pulled away and put on a fake pout. "Piper and Jason had some too." She accused, pointing her finger in the general direction of them. "It was cherry flavour, Silas. Cherry."

Her cheeks were flushed from the wind and her lips were pink. Her hair was blowing around her and the tip of her nose was rosy. She was grinning widely and her dimples were showing. She couldn't have looked more beautiful.

I smirked as I took her hand and led her toward everyone else. "Who else had the cherry cola?" I asked as Lia giggled. Percy and Annabeth looked up at me, Percy laughing and Annabeth rolling her eyes.

"WE DID!" Piper yelled, pulling Jason towards them, laughing loudly and freely.

"Helllllloooo Beauty Queen." Lia laughed, pulling away from me and falling into Piper's arms.

"Do not call me that, Queen of the Ocean and the Fishies." I raised an eyebrow at the name that Piper called Lia. She said it in the way that seemed to be an insult but I wouldn't classify 'Queen of the ocean and all the fishies' as an insult.

"She gets 'Queen of the Ocean and the Fishies' and I get Seaweed Brain?" Percy asked, smiling as Annabeth punched him in the arm.

Piper and Lia fell onto the sand, laughing and giggling. I watched them until I noticed Jason standing over them, eyebrows arched.

"I thought you drank it too." Percy asked him, frowning in bewilderment. "Why aren't you-"

"Rolling on the floor laughing or crying?" Jason smiled, looking at his girlfriend and Lia. "Because I'm not a lightweight." He looked down at Lia and Piper. "Unlike these two."

"OH MY GOD." Lia screamed, lying in the sand. "The time. The time. The time. The time. The TIME!" She scrambled up to her feet and clapped her hands, repeatedly, laughing.

I looked over at the illuminated clock that was hanging over the cabins in the air. 11:58.

Everyone else dispersed into their couples as Lia pulled me over to the water.

"Silas." She said, suddenly serious, all of her drunkenness gone. "I don't have all of my memories. But when I'm with you...it doesn't even matter. Because...I can't explain it, but... I just want you to know. I love you."

"What?" I asked, taken aback, throat bobbing. 

She just said that. She just said...love. She just said she loved me. Loved. Me. She dropped the L bomb. She loves me. She actually loves me.

"You don't have to say it back. I just...I just wanted you to know. That's how I feel. I love you." 

I was so astonished about her saying love that I almost missed the emphasis she put on you. 

"What do you mean you?" I asked, trying not to frown.

She gulped, and took my hands in hers. She looked up at me from underneath her eyelashes. Her black hair swung in the wind and she tried a faint smile. 

"I love you. And you're the only person I've ever loved." She bit her lip and it looked like she was trying to hold back tears. "Ok?" She said. "I've only ever loved you."

I looked down at her and grinned. I was about to tell her I loved her back but yells of delights interrupted me. 

I looked over at the illuminated clock and smiled when I read the time.

2018.

"Happy new year Silas." Lia whispered against my mouth as she went on her toes. 

"Happy new-" But I was caught off by her lips being pushed against mine. I circled my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me as I deepened the kiss. 

"Year." I whispered when we pulled apart. I grinned when she smiled up at me, her green eyes twinkling. 

Although I wasn't grinning for long because two seconds later, some guy walked out of the sea. 

Like, literally, just walked out of the sea. 

He looked about seventeen, a year older than me, and he looked like one of the guys from a holister advert. He had wavy black hair, that looked like it had been ruffled by the sea wind. He had blue eyes that looked like pools of deep water and he was wearing swimming trunks. His hands were nonchalantly in his pockets and he was grinning a lopsided smile.

"Who is that?" I heard Piper whistle before I then heard, "Aw Jason. I love you more, Superman."

"Oh gods." Lia whispered from beside me. I felt her stiffen and her breathing sped up. "Gods, gods, gods." She started muttering under her breath.

I was about to ask her what was wrong but the surfer-hollister-guy interrupted me by calling Lia's name. Yes, you heard me. He started walking towards us and called Lia's name.

"Oh gods." Lia muttered once more before she dropped my hand.


	28. Confusion and Clenched Jaws - 28

LIA

"Oh gods." I muttered. The closer Bas got to us the more I started swearing. "Oh gods."

Silas looked down at me, confusion evident in his face. His grey eyes swimming with confusion. He looked down at me before he looked over at Bas, who was still calling my name and strolling over to us. Bas kept trying to catch my gaze but I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Silas." I said as a couple of small tears started to slowly fall down my face. "I-"

But I was interrupted by Bas finally reaching us. I looked up at him and he frowned, probably wondering why tears were starting to fall down my face, clinging to my jaw. 

"Lia?" He asked softly, reaching for my hand. And I didn't pull my hand back. I should have. I should've pulled away because Silas was right there. But I didn't. I kept my hand encased in Bas'.

I had wanted to just forget about Bas. Forget everything, but I hadn't been able to. And now, seeing him here, seeing him in person. It made everything flood back all at once. All the memories. The memories of us meeting. The memories of us being friends for years. The memory of him asking me out when I was fifteen, a year ago. The memory of our first kiss. The memories of all the other kisses. The memories of him.

"Who are you?"

Silas' voice pulled me back into reality. I looked up at Silas, who's grey eyes were painted in bewilderment and his face a cast of hurt. 

"Basil. Son of Triton." Bas said. Gods, his voice. It was then when I realised how much I'd missed him. I should've realised, however, that he wasn't worth it.

"Yes." Silas said through gritted teeth. "But who are you in relation to Lia?" 

Bas looked down at me, as if he was confused that Silas didn't know who he was.

"I'm her boyfriend. I have been since she was fifteen."Silas froze, his jaw clenched, before he started to shake his head. "No. You're not." He said, his tone shaking. "I'm her boyfriend." But he looked down at me and Bas' hands still entwined and gulped.

I heard Bas growl but I ignored him and finally pulled my hand back and stepped towards Silas. But he just took two back. 

"Silas. I was...I was going to tell you." My voice was shaky and cracking with emotion. Tears started to rapidly fall down my face. 

Silas' face instantly turned from confusion to anger. "You knew?" He said with disgust. "You knew about him and you didn't tell me."

"What do you mean 'you knew about him'?" Bas asked, his gruff voice coming from behind me. "I'm her boyfriend, of course she knew."

"Shut up. Stop saying you're her boyfriend." Silas growled. I'd never seen him this angry. Ever. My stomach suddenly flipped and I felt sick.

"Silas please. I was going to-" I tried to beg and plead but he just cut me off.

"What did you think was going to happen Lia? That he'd never show up? That I'd never find out? How could you do this?" He asked, his voice breaking, as he took more steps back. I wanted to go to him, but my feet were rooted to the sand.

"Silas. Silas please. Please." I cried out. "I love you."

But he just shook his head. His blonde hair was caught in the light and it made him look like an angel. His eyes were stormy and his jaw was clenched. He was slipping away from me so quickly. And I didn't know how I was going to get him back. I didn't know if I could get him back.

"I don't care." He said simply. "I. Don't. Care." 

My knees started to buckle.

"I don't care Lia."

My head was spinning.

"I'm going back to Olympus."

My vision was blurring from the tears. I wiped them away quickly, scared that if I kept crying I wouldn't be able to see him.

"Don't try and contact me."

I was going to be sick.

"Have a nice life."

I watched him walk away, his fists clenched, for a couple of seconds before my body failed and I fell to my knees in the sand. 

"Silas." I whispered as he walked away, getting smaller and smaller as he got further and further away from me.

Percy, Annabeth and everyone appeared at the top of the beach, coming out from the woods, laughing and dancing, but they stopped in their tracks when they saw me kneeling in the sand, Bas behind me and Silas storming away. 

Annabeth dropped Percy's hand and ran over to Silas, who just shook his head and kept walking. She followed him into the forest, while everyone else just stood frozen, looking from Silas to me.

The tears kept falling and falling, and I didn't even try to wipe them away, so they just clung to my jaw. "Silas." I breathed, but the wind carried his name away. I was never going to see him again. He never wanted to see me again. What had I done?

I hadn't told Silas about Bas because we'd been in our own bubble that nothing could get to, and I thought by not telling Silas I would be able to keep us safe. I thought it didn't matter. 

But in the end it had mattered the most.

I buried my face in my hands and tried to stop sobbing.

I felt warm arms pull me into a deep hug. "I don't know who that was. But I'm here for you Lia. Ok? I'm here for you."

I twisted around and leaned into Bas' arms and warmth, letting him cradle me as I cried. "I missed you." He muttered into my hair. 

I shook my head fiercely, and pulled out of the hug, and stepped quickly away from Bas. 

He was just as handsome as I remembered, maybe even more so. His unkept black hair looked beautiful. His blue eyes were beautiful. He was still tall, still well built. Still Bas. He was still the Bas that I had fallen in love with.

But he wasn't Silas. No one would ever come remotely close to Silas. And I'd just lost him. Forever.

I'd just ruined everything.

I'd lost the best thing to ever happen to me.


	29. Heartbreak and Hurting

PERCY

I was getting really worried about Lia.

It had been a week since Silas had left for Olympus and since then, Lia had kept completely to her self. She didn't come outside, she just stayed in our cabin - sitting at the window.

There had been a storm raging for the past week too. The waves had crashed aggressively against the beach all day and the sky had thundered and lightning had spontaneously struck.

It had been especially bad two days after Silas had left. Lia hadn't even talked that day. She'd just sat, staring wistfully out of the window and I don't even know if she had acknowledged the storm she was causing.

Now, it just rained. No bright lighting. No colossal waves. No dark thunder. Just light, pitiful, depressing rain.

The sky was black at the moment, everyone was asleep. The moon was bright and it highlighted the sea's light ripples.

I stood outside of our cabin, about to go in when someone called my name. I turned around, my jaw clenching when I saw who it was. Basil. Bas. What a stupid name.

He was a bit taller than me, around Jason's height. He looked like a walking talking holister ad. Like one of those stereotypical cali surfer dudes who called people 'bros' and said 'don't even worry about it' unironically. Yeah sure, me and Jason also said those things...but when we did it it was cool and ironic.

Bas' dark messy hair, swayed in the slight wind. I was sick of hearing about Bas' hair. Literally, all of the girls here were obsessed with his stupid fucking hair. 

He was wearing a Camp Half Blood t-shirt and it made me hate him even more. He didn't deserve to wear it.

"What?" I asked bristly.

Hurt flashed across his blue eyes and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the guy. He'd come looking for his girlfriend. But he'd found her with another guy.

But the empathy vanished pretty quickly when I remembered that Lia was sitting in the cabin, alone, tired and sad. 

"I just...I uh..."

"Look." I interrupted him and even I could hear the brashness and annoyance in my voice. "I have stuff to do so get to the point."

He clenched his fists before he talked again. "Let me talk to Lia."

"No." I answered simply before I turned around.

"What do you mean no?" He asked, as if he'd just asked if he could breathe and I wouldn't let him.

"I mean no. Do you wanna hear it in french?" I said, eyes narrowed. "Non."

Basil's jaw clenched at the same time his fists curled into balls. I just folded my arms and arched an eyebrow.

"Please. Please." The second time he said it, his voice cracked with emotion.

I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed before I turned back round to face him. "Look. I get that you're in love with Lia and everything. But...well...I can't talk for her but I think it's best you don't talk to her for a bit. You can stay here I guess. Just...just...don't do anything stupid." And with that I opened the door and walked inside, slamming the door shut before he could say anything back.

I leaned against the door and looked over at Lia. She was sitting at the window and she was buried up in my New Rome College hoodie. I smiled when I saw her wearing that but then it made me frown a bit. Don't get me wrong, I was so excited to go to college with Annabeth, Piper and Jason, but it was a constant reminder that we were going to have to leave here. 

I was going to study sport, Annabeth was going to study architecture, Piper wanted to study french and Jason wanted to study teaching. 

But we were all going to have to leave Leo, Nico, Lia and Will behind. And I think it's going to be harder than I'm expecting. 

I pushed myself off of the door and made my way towards Lia, plopping down next to her. "Hi." I smiled softly.

"Hey." She whispered, her voice hoarse. She didn't look up at me, she kept her eyes on the horizon. The sky was black outside but there was no stars. It was just a black void that stretched out endlessly.

"How you doing?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Fine." She answered instantly. I don't even know why I asked, this was always the answer I got. I'm fine Percy.

"Lia." I said, bordering on stern. 

She whipped her head up, her long dark hair twisting, and looked me in the eye. "What do you want me to say Percy? The truth? Is that what you want?" 

I gulped, shocked, confused and unable to speak.

"I'm sad. I'm not fine. I feel...dead inside. Everything's ruined. Nothing's the same anymore and its my fault. Everything is my fault. Its all my fault and I can't fix it."

In her rage she jumped to her feet, her eyes narrowed. "I ruined everything. You don't know what that's like Percy. You have everything. The only things I had were you and Silas. But you're leaving and...and...and I've lost Silas. I lost him."

Her face went from a cast of anger and rage to a look painted in sadness. 

Her eyes weren't bright green anymore. The spark wasn't there anymore. They were a dulled, faded green. There was no spark, no life. She looked down at her hands, and we both saw the blood at the same time. She must've dug her nails into her hands too hard. I stood up, and made my way over to her. To my little sister who was hurting.

"Lia." I tried. 

She looked up at me, biting her lips, as tears started to swell in her eyes. She just shook her head, once lightly then again violently.

"Lia." I said again, going to place my hand on her shoulder. But she stepped back, at first, one step, then two, then she had turned away and was out the door.

ANNABETH

I had gone with Silas to Olympus. I hadn't wanted him to stay up here alone, especially after what happened. He wasn't meeting mum for another week, so I was just going to stay with him till then.

We were staying in the hotel I had designed for Olympus. They hadn't had one before, and I had figured it might be useful. Useful for situations like this.

It was one of the few roman style buildings I'd incorporated into Olympus. It was white and had gold carvings all around the outside. I was pretty proud of it. 

Me and Silas were in the foyer - I was wandering around, inspecting the building, and Silas was sitting straight up on a coach, talking to Coach Hedge. He was up here to get baby supplies for Chuck. I'd often wondered where you could buy baby satyr supplies. I guess Olympus must really have everything.

I was talking to the hotel manager, he was a young satyr and I couldn't help but smile at the tie he was wearing- it had stock art pictures of grass on it. I heard Silas sigh really loudly, and when I turned around he was slouched down, cringing at Coach.

I smiled and thanked the manager quickly, complementing his work, before I made my way over to Silas and Coach. "What you guys talking about?" I asked as I placed my bag down on the marble floor and sat down on an ottoman next to Silas.

"Nothing." Silas muttered from inside his hood, at the same time Coach said, "Girls."

"Oh?" I asked, glancing sideways at Silas. I knew he wasn't over Lia, it was extremely obvious and even if it basically didn't say 'I still love my ex' on his forehead, it was evident in the way that he was trying to disappear into his hoodie. 

"There are so many girls in the sea." Coach said, nodding his head as he spoke.

"Fish." Silas sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fish in the sea."

"Why are you talking about fish? I'm talking about girls."

I restrained my laugh, purely because Silas looked so miserable. 

"You don't get it." He sighed, leaning even more into his chair. "Every time I even think about her, it's like a kick to the stomach then a punch to the throat." 

His grey eyes weren't bright anymore. They didn't scan anything anymore, they didn't scrutinise or examine anymore. They just stayed glued to his feet.

"It's called heartbreak Silas." I said, lightly placing my hand on his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure it's supposed to hurt like that. It's in the name."

"Yeah there's only like a bazillion songs about it." Coach said, and I could swear I detected a smidgen of pity in his face. 

"I just didn't think it would hurt this much. Not this much." Silas muttered as he stood up and walked away, hands in his pockets, trainers scuffing the ground and heart in pieces.


	30. Anything and Aphrodite

LIA

I couldn't breathe anymore. I couldn't speak. I couldn't eat. I wasn't... living anymore.

I leaned against the cabin door after it slammed shut behind me. I knew Percy was just trying to help. But I didn't want help. I just wanted Silas back. I needed Silas back. Percy just didn't understand. No one understands.

I would do anything to get him back. 

That's what I kept telling myself as I ran down to the beach. I would do anything. Find anything. Destroy anything. Kill anything. Sacrifice anything.

That's when I stopped in my tracks. I loved him. I would do anything for him. I would bring down the sky. I would drain the sea, burn the sun. Hang the moon.

I would do anything. Anything that I needed to. Anything.

I fell to my knees and dug my hands into the dry sand. I expected tears to fall but they didn't. My eyes stayed dry and my vision clear. I breathed and dug my hands in deeper into the sand. I felt the grains in my nails and it felt like all the moisture in my hands had dried up.

"Please." I whispered into the wind. "Please."

Then I exhaled deeply and lightly shut my eyes. Something felt off. No...something felt right. Like all of this power had all of a sudden surged up into me. I felt like I could do anything. Literally. It literally felt like I could do anything. I opened my eyes, surprised, and looked down at my fists. There was a handful of sand in my fist and I let it slowly trickle out.

"Anything." I said into the silence, watching the sand fall. I couldn't even hear the wind anymore. "I'll do anything." I was getting louder and louder aswell as shriller and shriller. "I'll do anything, I just need...I NEED HIM. I'LL DO ANYTHING."

When a sudden gush of wind, which smelt strangely of strawberries and freshly mowed grass, pushed into me, my eyes flashed up and I quickly fully opened my hands, the sand falling out all at once.

Aphrodite.

She was standing in front of me, casting anxious looks around. She appeared with blonde hair, but it wasn't curled like it had been the last couple of times I'd seen her, it didn't even look brushed. She didn't have any colour in her face, she actually looked an off greyish. And her eyes.

Her green eyes had always been bright and deep but right now they looked like sludge. She was looking around tentatively and her right fingers were twitching. She looked nervous. No...she looked...scared.

"Lia." She whispered, taking a couple of hesitant steps towards me. "You mustn't say things like that. Things are happening. Dangerous and powerful things. And you need to leave your brother to it."

What was she on about? I decided I didn't care. She was going to talk to me about what I wanted to talk about.

"You're the goddess of love, Aphrodite."

Gulping, she looked down at me suspiciously, perfectly-shaped eyebrow arched. "Yes."

"So fix this." I said through gritted teeth.

She looked taken aback. "What?" She asked, confused.

"Me and Silas. Fix it. Fix us."

She bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair. "Lia. I can't...fix you." She was quickly losing her composure. Her hair was getting frizzy and she looked stressed.

"Yes you can."

"No I-"

Everything just came out of me. Everything that had been building up for the past week. Since I'd seen Silas walk away. All the anger and rage. All the sadness and the depression. Everything.

"I'll do anything. Just fix it. I'LL DO ANYTHING." I screamed, the wind speeding up as Aphrodite looked increasingly more and more concerned.

"Anything." I panted.


	31. Dripping Wet and Dark

PERCY

I just stood there there for a while after Lia ran out. I didn't know what to do. I guess I sucked at this. At being a big brother. I'd been fine with Estelle so far, she was only one so all of my big brother duties had just been mainly peekaboo and throwing her in the air and catching her. She did like it when I made the water in her baths jump around. 

Everything was harder with Lia, not because she wasn't amazing, she was. It was just...with Lia, she was so powerful, and power stems from emotion. And she'd been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past few months.

I guess I was still figuring it out. I still hadn't talked to dad about it yet, I hadn't actually seen him for a while, not since we'd finished our quest to retrieve Athena's flute. We still didn't really know who had taken it, or how it had ended up on Mount Parnassus, but we'd found it. Athena had some suspicions but she wouldn't tell us what they were. Annabeth just told us her mum had mentioned Kronos and something about evil in the air. She was going to try and get more out of her mum when she went with Silas to Olympus.

That had been the last time I'd seen dad and I hadn't even talked to him. Just kinda nodded at him awkwardly.

I didn't like thinking about dad keeping Lia a secret from me and mum. I also didn't like thinking about mum thinking that Lia was dead. I hadn't told mum about Lia yet. I couldn't.

I didn't really like thinking at all. I had a list of things I didn't think about; Tartarus, life after camp, Kronos, Gaea. I didn't like thinking about those things, but I also had a list of things I let myself think about. Annabeth, Mum, Lia, Estelle, Paul, my friends, pancakes and maple syrup, sleep, dogs. 

I sighed and scratched the back of my neck before I made my way outside. I got to the front porch before Grover came running up to me, his face panicked and brows furrowed. "Percy, man, I think something's wrong. There's a mad storm happening down at the beach." 

I turned around and sure enough, the wind was howling and the clouds were thundering. I gestured with my head to Grover, and together we ran down to the beach.

As we ran past the cabins, campers were giggling and squealing in the rain or laughing as they ducked into their cabins for shelter, oblivious to the fact that some serious shizzle was going down. As we got to the dining pavilion, I heard someone shout my name from behind me. 

I turned around to see Nico, dripping wet from the rain, running towards us. 

"Percy." He said as he got to us. He was panting and he looked stressed. "It's Lia. It's definitely Lia."

I nodded, and my throat bobbed. "Come on." I said to him, gesturing down to the beach. "We're going down there."

Nico didn't say anything, he just ran his tongue over his teeth before he pushed it into his cheek. Then he nodded, and ran his fingers through his cropped dark hair. 

So, that's how the son of Poseidon, the Ghost King and the Lord of the Wild ended up running towards the massive storm that my little sister was causing that could potentially kill us.

When we got to the beach my mouth fell open. Lia was standing there, her long dark hair blowing around her, her eyes dark and her face angry and her fists clenched. She was screaming at a woman, and as I looked closer I saw that it was Aphrodite. She looked like she couldn't move.

"What's she doing here?" I asked Nico.

He didn't answer just shrugged as he stared at Lia. 

"Lia...she doesn't look like...she doesn't look like-"

"Herself." I finished Nico's sentence for him, because it was true. 

Her normally smiling and laughing face was angry and painted in rage. Her normally bright green eyes were dark and fuelled with desperation and animosity. Her fists were clenched and water was spraying all around her. Lightning was sparking around her feet and her jaw was clenched.

She was so powerful, but she still didn't know how to control it. 

"What's happening?" A voice from behind us asked. We turned around to see Wil, Piper, Jason and Leo standing behind us, brows furrowed and confusion painted on their faces. 

"Lia's gone off the rails." Grover said as they joined us.

I sent Grover a glare and he shrugged apolitically. "She's not gone off the rails." Piper said, a sad smile on her face. "She's in love."

Leo rolled his eyes at her, but I noticed Jason squeeze her hand.

"I don't give a fuck if she thinks she's in love." I said through gritted teeth. "She's going to kill herself if she doesn't stop." 

None of them said anything else. So I exhaled, and started to walk towards Lia and Aphrodite. I heard Piper gasp behind me before she asked Nico, "Is that my mum?"

Nico awkwardly answered by nodding his head before he then said, comfortingly, "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a goddess, Lia's just a demi-god."

Their voices got quieter as I kept walking towards Lia. When I was about a couple meters away, I started shouting over to her, "LIA."

I know she heard me, because I saw her twitch but she didn't stop the water and lightning. "LIA, CALM DOWN. IT'S NOT WORTH IT."

She gulped and turned towards me, face dark. Aphrodite saw her chance and with one worried look at me, she shook her head and disappeared. I turned my attention back to Lia and kept talking to her, trying to get her to stop. 

"Lia, Lia please." I begged, walking towards her, one slow step at a time.

She shook her head violently, and bit her lip. Her face softened a bit but the water kept splashing and the sparks kept jumping. 

"I need him Percy."

I nodded at her, before I held out my hand. "I know Lia. I get it, I do. I get it. But this isn't the way. This won't work."

"I'll do anything." She said one more time. Then she crumbled. All at once, the storm stopped, the lightning and water disappeared and her knees buckled, and she fell into the sand, sobbing.

I sighed, relived as the clouds left and the sun started to come out. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered as I ran to her, falling to my knees and pulling her into a hug. 

"I know. I know."

"I just need him."

"I know. I know." I said as I pulled my little sister closer. 

I heard our friends run down to us, and before long it was a massive group hug on the dripping wet beach.

But as we all sighed in relief and hugged Lia. She just kept whispering one thing under her breath. 

"I'll do anything."


End file.
